


Darkness Calls

by SkiaWolf



Series: Sorey and Mikleo's Kinky Adventures [10]
Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: (later on-ish), Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, BDSM, Human/Vampire Relationship, M/M, S&M, Smut, Vampire Sorey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-01-18 08:19:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 37,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12384423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkiaWolf/pseuds/SkiaWolf
Summary: Mikleo and Edna are two new first years at university. There has been rumours of vampire sightings at this very place, and determined to prove that it is all nonsense, Mikleo makes a bet with a classmate on whether or not all of it is true.





	1. Existence

**Author's Note:**

> Your boy is back with that kinky stuff that, for some reason, people read. Many thanks.
> 
> I drew vampy SorMik I have still yet to post on social media, and whilst drawing it I realised that holy shit, vampire Sorey is hot, why don't I use this for part ten of Kinky Adventures? Then one thing led to another and for some reason: chaptered fic. Wow. Utterly self indulgent, sprinkling of plot, some sweetness thrown in there. Tainted AU-ish vibes but kind of not at the same time? See it as you wish. I don't know what I'm doing anymore.
> 
> *pushes anxiety to the side* Enjoy!

~~~~With heavy breaths and their feet splashing through water on the ground, two figures were hurrying in order to escape the torrent of rain. Alongside this downpour were suitcases being dragged across the floor and the general bustle of people trying to get inside, causing it to be louder and busier in a much different way than the two new students had anticipated.

“I thought that we'd be greeted by people handing out fliers and all that,” the taller of the two, male and pulling a blue suitcase behind him, said breathlessly. “Not all this.”

“Even your like for rain doesn't include something like this,” the other said in agreement – female, and carrying an orange rucksack on her back. Luckily, they were soon inside the building, both sighing over the warmth it brought. Inside stood others – some were shivering and already running off to find where to dry themselves off, others were laughing in disbelief over how soaked through they were.

“Our hoods barely did anything,” said the boy, named Mikleo, running fingers through a swooped silver fringe. Drops of water fell from the strands and down his face. He smirked down at the girl, with her blonde hair stuck to her head. “You look like a drowned rat, Edna – _ouch!”_

The umbrella she had been holding, which had been used in vain against the heavy downpour and had almost been broken, jabbed into his side. “Watch it, Meebo.”

“Is that any way to treat your brother?”

“Says you.”

Mikleo rolled his eyes. “Come on, let's find our dorm. We're meant to be sharing, right?”

She nodded. “They usually don't put girls and boys together,” she said as they began to walk. “Which I find hilarious, as you're not exactly going to sleep with a girl. But I think we're exceptions as we're siblings.”

“Not thought about whether one of us might want privacy?”

“For what? Trust me, I'm not going to be banging any losers here, and if you want to go ahead and do that, do it in _their_ room.”

“Like I'd do it in ours. I never said I was going to do that anyway.”

Edna hummed apprehensively. “Maybe some guy will end up seducing you. Tall, dark, handsome.”

“I never said that was my type.”

She glanced him up and down, eyes taking in his stature and pale clothes. “Small, light, not handsome … don't opposites attract?”

“Hey! _Not_ handsome?”

“Oh. I definitely meant that in a, 'I think you'd suit the word beautiful more' kind of way.”

“Of course you did.”

She smirked at him, before she pointed to a door with her spare hand. “There, that should be it. Do you have the key?”

“Yeah, hold on – ah, there it is.”

He pulled out the key from the inside pocket of a blazer, setting his suitcase down to one side to fit it into the lock. It opened, revealing a fairly small room, yet still spacious enough. Two twin beds laid inside, a bedside table between them. The door to an en suite bathroom was located on the far right wall.

“Not bad,” Edna commented, dropping her rucksack onto the ground with a thud. Her hands dug into the shoulders on which it had rested. “God, you have no idea how to treat a lady. You should have carried that for me.”

“It's not my fault you didn't use a suitcase instead,” said Mikleo, his gaze averting to the window, where drops of rain were splattering against it. “Plus, how would you have expected me to carry all that in this weather?”

“True. Poor little Meebo is too weak and feeble to carry too much luggage anyway.”

“I am _this_ close to hitting you.”

“Oh no. Help me, I'm so scared.” Edna's own eyes fell on the window. “Really, it _is_ strange that all this rain fell down so heavily. Like it's an omen.”

“Omen for what, exactly?”

“Halloween is next month. Plus, you've heard about some of the rumours here.”

Mikleo rolled his eyes. Anything supernatural was something he did not believe in – or at least, tried his best not to. He had always been driven by a mixture of emotion and logic, and if he did not have the latter, he'd be left feeling vulnerable and uncertain.

“There's no saying that any of that stuff is actually true.”

“Oh, I know. I was just saying. It's kinda interesting anyway.”

“For you.”

“For you as well.”

Mikleo did not answer, for he knew that there was truth in her words. After all, he had always had a thrill for any kind of adventure, and that usually came with some form of risk. If the rumours which he vaguely knew about were true, danger was certainly lurking here. One side of him was fascinated and excited by the thought.

 

* * *

 

 

The wait for their first classes to begin was relatively normal, what with exploring the campus, the city of Ladylake and simply enjoying some relaxing last few days before education would start once again. Settling into living on their own was also something they had to become accustomed to. Both were rather independent, but having an older brother in the same house allowed them to not have to complete chores everyday. Now, they were going to be looking after themselves completely.

The two were taking different courses on campus; Edna with Geography, and Mikleo with History. It was a little nerve-wrecking for both of them to not actually yet be close to anyone in either of their classes. During the few days of settling in, they had met other students, but they were more like acquaintances rather than friends. Both were too stubborn to admit that they'd feel a lot more comfortable if they shared the same class.

“I'll see you later, then,” Edna said on the morning of their first lesson, as they stood in the hallways of the university. “Try not to get lost. Or do. That's also a good option.”

Mikleo rolled his eyes, yet couldn't stop a small smile forming on his face. Her joke was helping to ease his nerves a little. Feeling a little more confident as they parted ways, he began to head in the direction of his class.

Thankfully, he managed to find it relatively easily, the only thing spiking his nerves being the moment he stepped through the doorway and saw that students were already filling in the rows. However, his eyes caught a blonde girl in the right hand corner, who gave him an inviting smile. Feeling welcomed by it, he hurried over, eyes landing on the figure who would come in between them – they were bent over, a head of brown hair resting on their arms.

“He's had a bit of a long night,” the girl said, giving him a small shake. “Sorey, wake up and introduce yourself.”

The figure stirred, Mikleo having to hold in a laugh when he rose his head sleepily, strands sticking up in numerous places. He blinked, and Mikleo was a little taken aback by how quickly his eyes seemed to become focused on him. He had never seen something quite like that from any person he knew.

Then the boy smiled, bearing white teeth – it was so beautiful that it seemed to vanish all of Mikleo's thoughts completely, aside from just how radiant that smile was, and the way it seemed to light up green eyes.

“Sorry about that, I didn't get much sleep!” Despite his words, his voice did not seem tired at all – in fact, it was cheerful and energetic. “My name's Sorey, what's yours?”

“Mikleo.” He blinked, remembering his manners as he held out his hand. “It's a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure's mine!”

“And I'm Alisha,” said the girl from Sorey's side. “It's nice to meet you.”

“Same to you both. I've not seen you around yet – I suppose that you don't live on campus?”

“No, we live out in Ladylake,” said Sorey. “A short walk from here.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Good morning, class!” a voice suddenly called out from the front of the room, startling Mikleo slightly. His gaze fell on her, feeling as though he had to tear it away from Sorey and Alisha. He passed it off on how the two seemed to have an aura about them which was different than the rest of the class.

“My name is Lailah, and I will be your main tutor for your course,” the woman continued. She spoke in a welcoming and friendly manner. “It would have been normal for you to have already checked the details of the course beforehand, but to make sure that you're aware of everything …”

At first, Mikleo had no trouble focusing on the words she was speaking. Yet steadily, it dropped – he felt as though a pair of eyes were glancing at him every so often, and sure enough, his own soon met with them.

“What?” he whispered, watching as Sorey took a piece of paper and started to write on it, before sliding it towards him.

_'Sorry, I didn't mean to stare or anything. You_ _'re just really_ _unique.'_

Raising an eyebrow, Mikleo wrote a response underneath.

_'Unique? What do you mean by that?'_

_'White hair, purple eyes, pale skin … I've never seen something like that before.'_

_'Well, now you have.'_

Sorey did not write a response, merely choosing to smile instead. It strangely brought forward a type of nervousness that Mikleo had never experienced before. The feeling was not uncomfortable, yet still left him confused.

Regardless, he was soon immersed in their first lesson, as were Sorey and Alisha. The session was mostly to go over what the course would cover, and then a small introduction to what they were studying first, so it was fairly relaxed. Yet it still had the three excited. Mikleo was soon to learn that the two adored history just as much as he did, and they seemed to notice that about Mikleo, too.

“I mean, of course we'd be all be interested in it, considering we've taken the course,” said Sorey. “But you really do seem as passionate as we do!”

“It's how Sorey and I became friends,” Alisha continued. “We found that we had a fair bit in common, including this.”

Mikleo smiled, feeling his excitement for the class building up now he had two people similar to him. “I've always been passionate about history. My mother and uncle were very enthralled in it, and I was soon becoming interested myself.”

“Were?” Sorey questioned. “Are they not interested as much anymore? Or …”

“There was a large fire in my home village,” Mikleo explained, surprising himself over how little it got to him nowadays after repeatedly telling the story over the years. “Neither of them survived.”

“I'm so sorry to hear that!”

“It's fine, I was adopted after that. I went from being an only child to having two siblings. One is the same age as me, actually – she's taken Geography.”

“I'm sure she's lovely,” Alisha smiled, Mikleo letting out a small chuckle.

“That's questionable.”

“Why not sit with us for lunch?” Sorey offered. “Then you could bring your sister!”

“O-Oh, well, I wouldn't want to intrude.”

“Well, I thought we were friends now, right? It'll be nice to get to know you some more.”

Mikleo's smile returned. “Yeah, that would be nice. All right, I'll go find her and ask her after this lesson.”

“Awesome!” Sorey grinned. His cheerfulness was certainly contagious, and by now, the temporary nerves that had swam in Mikleo's stomach seemed to have vanished entirely.

 

* * *

 

 

A few hours later, Edna was by Mikleo's side, the two of them heading towards the cafeteria. Apparently, her cute appearance had attracted the attention of many of her classmates, several of which thought she was too young to be there. After punching Mikleo's arm when he sniggered, she said that it would probably be a nice break to go with him and avoid her cooing classmates.

The cafeteria was bustling with students. The two had never been in a place of education which was so large and this crowded – neither were particularly fond of large crowds, yet strangely, this did not seem as bad. Perhaps it made them feel more like there were others who could relate to them here.

“Is that them?” Edna asked. “There's people waving to us.”

Mikleo followed the direction of her pointed finger, finding that there was indeed Sorey and Alisha sitting at a table. Accompanying them was a red-headed girl Mikleo did not recognise. Apparently Edna did, however.

“Oh, Rose is with them, too.”

“The redhead?”

“Yeah, she's in my Geography class. I didn't realise she was friends with your new pals.”

“Edna!” Rose shouted as the pair came closer. “These two were just telling me about your bro – I didn't realise that he was in the same class as them!”

“Yeah, he is.”

“This is Edna,” Mikleo said as he took a seat by Sorey, Edna opposite him. “Edna, these are Sorey and Alisha.”

“Nice to meet you,” Alisha smiled.

“Rose has been telling us about you!” said Sorey.

“Couldn't have been anything good – _ouch,_ Edna!”

“Meebo isn't very nice to his sister,” said Edna as she removed a bottle of water from his head.

“Not like you're nice to me, either,” he grumbled, rubbing the spot where she had hit him and pouting as Sorey laughed.

“Well, that's certainly a nice sibling relationship.”

“Totally.”

Despite how Sorey, Alisha and Rose had seemed to know each other for a long time already, Mikleo found that both he and Edna were getting along well with all three of them, almost as though it was natural for them to be there. The three had a presence about them which almost seemed like it could draw someone in. Perhaps it was how charismatic they were – most specifically, Mikleo sensed this from Sorey.

Soon, the conversation shifted to what he and Edna had discussed briefly on occasion, but not properly – the rumours that existed in regards to Ladylake University.

“So tell me, you two,” Rose grinned, leaning forward with her head resting in her hands. Alisha was quick to interrupt her, letting out a sigh before she spoke.

“Honestly Rose, are you going to question _everyone_ about this?”

“Absolutely. Do you two know about the rumours of this place?”

Edna nodded. “I'm pretty sure everyone has at least _heard_ about them.”

“It just doesn't seem believable to me, though,” said Mikleo. “I mean, sightings of _vampires_ on the grounds? They don't even exist.”

“Or they do, but Meebo is too scared to admit that he might believe it even a little bit.

“ _Ugh!_ I'm not, shut up.”

“Awh, but why not?” Sorey asked, letting out a laugh. “Nothing's impossible, so they say.”

“Come on. Vampires on the campus? This isn't a TV show.”

“Fine, how about we make a bet?”

“A bet?” Alisha echoed, speaking the words that Mikleo was going to himself.

“Yup! I bet that vampires _do_ exist, Mikleo, and you bet that they don't. How about we make that bet real?”

Mikleo raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“One thing – how exactly are you going to prove that they're real?”

“All of the sightings are at night. Why don't we go out and see if we can find anything going on?”

“No way. That sounds dangerous.”

“But I thought you didn't believe in them anyway?” Rose chipped in.

“I – I don't. But I still don't exactly like the thought of going out at night and searching for trouble.”

“Come on, you'll be with me, so it's not like you'll be alone!” Sorey persisted. “It'll be fun. We can go tonight.”

“I …” Mikleo thought over this, cursing his competitive side for making him debate over this in the first place, as opposed to simply say no. “Well, if it's a bet, what exactly does the winner get?”

Sorey hummed. “How about … whatever the other one wants?”

“That's very vague.”

“Makes the will to win greater though, doesn't it?”

Mikleo paused, before he nodded. “All right, you're on. But I'm definitely going to win.”

“Nope, I'm going to!”

“Ugh, someone stop them already,” Edna groaned. “They've only known each other for a few hours and are already acting like a competitive couple.”

Mikleo was ignoring her words. Or more specifically, he barely heard them. For when determination had flickered in Sorey's eyes, mingled with something he could not quite put his finger on, he felt himself becoming strangely entranced.

 

* * *

 

 

For some time, their arrangement for that evening left Mikleo's mind. It was easy enough for it to do so with the continuation of their day. However, once lessons had ended and he and Edna had ate together, his thoughts drifted back to Sorey.

He was usually not the kind of person to recklessly accept an idea this easily. He barely knew Sorey at all, aside from hearing about his interests, and from what he could easily tell on the surface. Yet there was no denying some kind of chemistry between them already. In fact, Mikleo had never experienced something quite like it. Perhaps their personalities were simply a combination which went well together.

No matter the cause, he had still said yes. Even Edna's teasing about how he already had a 'first date' was not quite enough to fully distract himself from his nerves, either. They were building higher as the afternoon went on. But alongside it was excitement, as well as the sense of adventure he craved. Plus, though he would not dare to admit it aloud, he felt a little as though he had not yet spent enough time with Sorey.

Once a sunset tinted with red had been taken over by a dark night sky, he had thrown on a blue coat and was now heading outside. He shivered as cold air hit him, yet he found the night pleasant nonetheless. The cold was not too overbearing, and the sky was clear – he found himself lost looking at the half-moon and stars, until he was startled by the call of his name.

“Oh, I'm sorry!” said the voice of Sorey as he walked over. “Did I scare you?”

“Just startled me a bit. I was thinking about how beautiful the sky looks.”

Sorey's eyes peered up at it. “Yeah, it really does. I'm more of a night owl, really, so I always enjoy looking at the sky and such.” His gaze shifted to Mikleo, already existing grin growing. “Shall we go vampire hunting, then?”

Mikleo nodded, a small smirk growing on his face. “Well, hunting for nothing as opposed to a creature which doesn't exist.”

“Awh, come on! You can't be _that_ determined to think that there's no chance at all.”

“I am.”

“Fine, I'm going to convince you otherwise. Just you wait!”

Mikleo rolled his eyes, yet still jogged a little faster to keep by Sorey's side as they walked through the darkness. He hoped he did not notice. If he did, he did not say anything about it. Perhaps it seemed as though Mikleo just wanted to keep up, as opposed to be closer to Sorey. The flickering of a lamp above their heads was making the scene feel a little bit more chilling.

“How long are we going to be out here for?” Mikleo asked, eyes glancing around.

“Are you scared already?”

“N-No!” Mikleo huffed. “It's just a bit cold, and I don't want to sleep too late.”

“I can give you my jacket, if it gets too much for you. I don't really feel the cold.”

Now that Sorey had mentioned it, Mikleo took note of how the only outer that Sorey was wearing was a hooded-top which did not seem to be very thick. It seemed to be worn more for fashion than to fight the cold.

“I'll be fine,” Mikleo responded. “It's not that bad.”

Sorey shrugged his shoulders. “Just know that the offer stands. We probably won't be searching for that long, anyway.”

“Oh, yeah? What makes you so sure?”

“You'll see!”

Mikleo stared at Sorey with a small amount of confusion. He was sure that the enthusiasm and confidence were fake – after all, surely Sorey could not be serious? But at the same time, Sorey must have been excellent at pretending, for his voice sounded genuine.

Was that why Mikleo's nerves had returned even stronger than before?

“Come on, let's go down that way,” said Sorey, gesturing to a clearing ahead. There was a lot less light there, and Mikleo found himself shaking his head.

“I … I don't think that's a good idea.”

“Why not?” Sorey asked, turning to him. “What's the matter?”

“I don't know. I'm nervous, I guess.”

A warm smile grew on Sorey's face. “Don't worry, I'm right here with you.”

Mikleo hesitated, before he said, “All right. Just for a bit.”

“Don't worry, we won't be that long.” A hand rested on Mikleo's back to guide him for a moment, before it settled back to Sorey's side. “Are you starting to change your mind?”

“What about?”

“About whether or not vampires exist.”

“I wouldn't say so.”

“Then why the nerves all of a sudden?”

Mikleo did not answer, for he had no answers to give. He was clueless himself about why his heart was beginning to beat faster, that goosebumps were forming on his skin.

“Maybe a better question to ask is … what is it that stops you from believing in them?”

“I don't know. Logic, I guess.” They were now drawing to a stop in the darkness – as his eyes adjusted, Mikleo could see that they were the only ones there. “I mean, there's no proof or anything that they exist.”

“So it's the lack of evidence that makes you not believe it?”

Mikleo nodded. “Exactly. I'm pretty sure that I'd only believe they were real if I actually had one right in front of me. Otherwise, it's just ridiculous to believe it.”

For some reason, this made Sorey chuckle. “Well, that's why I brought you out here. So you can see one with your own eyes.”

“Well, in case you couldn't tell, we're the only ones here.”

Despite the sarcastic tone, he was feeling uneasy inside, and he felt as though Sorey could sense that.

“That's true. But that doesn't mean anything.”

“What … what do you mean?”

“Have you really not guessed by now?”

“There's … there's n-nothing …” he stammered, steadily losing the ability to speak properly. “Sorey, stop playing around. This isn't a joke.”

“Who says I'm joking?”

“I … what …”

“Don't scream, okay? Please. You don't have to."

“S-Scream? But why would I …”

His words trailed off as Sorey lowered his head. He stayed silent, certain his heart was about to escape from his ribcage, as Sorey's head rose again. Slowly, eyes glowing crimson were revealed, and when he bore his teeth, perfectly white, pointed fangs.

“Please, don't scream,” Sorey repeated before Mikleo even had a chance to process doing so. After all, his voice felt trapped, as though he had no chance to use it at all. Yet he forced himself to, even if it shook immensely.

“Y-You're … you're a …”

“Well, these certainly aren't just for show,” Sorey said, pointing to his eyes with a grin. His fangs seemed even more prominent with his mouth stretched. “Looks like I win.”

“But … but this is insane! I would have never … I …”

“Hey, calm down.” His voice was gentle, which clashed with Mikleo's fear. “Don't you think I would have hurt you already if that's what I wanted?”

“Then why bring me all the way out here?” Mikleo was speaking quicker now, and louder, using anger and a defensive attitude to try and hide his fear.

“Well, what if you _had_ ended up screaming? Plus, I've had a lot of fun.”

“A-Alisha and Rose, are they –”

“Vampires? Yeah, they are. Alisha was scolding me for playing around like this actually, but she doesn't really understand. No, not completely. She couldn't. Even I've never felt like this before.”

“What do you mean?”

“There's something about you, Mikleo. Something I've never felt from another human. It goes much deeper than the appearance I mentioned before.” He took Mikleo's hand, turning it over. “Perhaps the right word for it is … aura. I just knew instantly that I needed to get closer to you. It's crazy, and you might not believe a creature like me. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't." His fingers trailed across the veins prominent in a slender wrist, a shiver running down Mikleo's spine. “But Mikleo, do you remember our bet?”

Mikleo nodded, too fixed on watching the finger stroke over his veins to say any words. With his fear running high, he would have expected to snatch his wrist back by now, run and call for help off someone. Yet he didn't. He was fixed to the spot. He was caught back in the trance which seemed even more stronger now Sorey's eyes shone red.

“What was the prize for the person who won?”

“Anything they want,” Mikleo found himself saying from memory. He did not think about it, nor was there the tremble in his voice. The reply came without hesitation.

“Right. And what I really want from you,” said Sorey, bringing Mikleo's wrist up to his mouth to place a kiss onto it, “is for you to offer your blood to me.”

“M-My …”

“Your blood, yes.” He released Mikleo's wrist, the red in his eyes beginning to fade. “But don't worry. I never feed on someone without their consent.”

“And … and how are you so sure I'd give you that consent?”

“Because I know you're as drawn to me as I am to you. I can sense it. You're already feeling a pull towards the bite, because of what that causes for a human. Without even realising what it was, you were desiring that.”

“But why? W-Why would I –”

“The bite is pleasurable for both the vampire and the human. It's natural for a human to be drawn to that without even knowing.” By now, Sorey had returned to normal, his voice also back to a lighter tone. “Of course, if you still end up saying no, then I can't push you, even if you'd be going against our bet. But I know you'll probably end up saying yes.”

He walked forward past Mikleo, turning back to him and gesturing over his shoulder. “Humans like you should be in bed at this time. Should we head back?”

Mikleo nodded slowly. Still in shock, he barely found the strength to walk again. He was not even sure how he felt anymore.

“Sorey,” he ended up saying quietly.

“Yeah?”

“Was the person I met today not you? Is this who you really are?”

Sorey's walking stopped. He turned around to Mikleo with a smile. “Both of them are me,” he answered. “I wasn't pretending or anything like that before. When my fangs grow, I tend to get a bit more … how do I describe it? Dark? But I promise nothing you saw today was fake.”

He carried on walking, Mikleo falling behind.

“I've simply craved you from the moment I saw you,” he continued. He looked over his shoulder at Mikleo, and for a moment, there seemed to be a red glimmer in his eyes. “And I don't give up on cravings easily.”


	2. Stepping Closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the shock of discovering Sorey's identity, Mikleo begins to learn more about him, building a friendship in the process. Meanwhile, Sorey begins to truly realise the extent of how he feels towards Mikleo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, thank you so much for the comments on the first chapter! I'm really glad to hear that you're enjoying it already. The spicy stuff I'm very much known for with this series will start shortly, but I wanted a little more time for a bit of development. Hence why I've given myself five chapters for something which is only really based around smut. Mostly.
> 
> Enjoy!

It was with a racing heartbeat that Mikleo opened and closed the door to his and Edna's room. Mikleo felt a comfort in seeing her. She was lying on her stomach, gaze on a book, which did not shift as Mikleo had entered. Seeing her like this was like a pull back to reality.

“Hey,” she greeted, still not looking up. “How was vampire hunting?”

Mikleo could not find the words to answer. His mouth opened again and closed. Edna looked up from this lack of response, eyes growing a little wide when they fell on him.

“Woah, what's up with you?” she asked, sitting up on her knees. “Your face is really pale, and that's saying something for you.”

Mikleo's hand rose to his face. He found that despite the lack of colour there, it was burning up. “Really? I … I didn't notice.”

“Did something happen?”

His appearance really must have been worse than he realised for Edna to sound so concerned.

“N-Not really,” Mikleo replied quietly, realising that Sorey did not actually state whether or not Mikleo should keep everything a secret. He simply assumed that this was the case. He forced a smile. “I'm fine.”

“Like Hell you are.” Edna walked over to him, grabbing onto the sleeve of his coat and pulling him to his bed. She sat down next to him, pressing the back of her hand to his forehead. “You seem pretty hot … are you ill?”

“I think I just got worked up. I'll be fine soon.”

“You're not really the type to get so worked up over a walk in the dark,” Edna pushed. There was a slight shake to her voice. “I can't believe I'm asking this, but … did you see anything?”

“I … No, that's ridiculous.”

“Don't lie to me.”

He looked at her, seeing the determination to find out the truth in her eyes. With a sigh he looked away, his attention given to the hands resting in his lap.

“I don't think I should talk about it.”

“You're being threatened or something?”

Mikleo shook his head immediately. “No, there were no threats. I just don't think it's right for me to talk about.”

“So you're not playing with me when you act like … _they_ actually exist.”

His head shook again. “No, they exist.” Images of Sorey's eyes flashed in his head, sending a chill down his spine. “I can assure you that.”

“Holy shit. Well, I guess I've always had an open mind, but … you're really not joking?”

“What would I get out of lying?”

“To humiliate me and call me gullible?”

“Edna, I promise I'm not trying to do that at all. I don't think I can talk about it, but they're real. The rumours are right, and …”

“ _A-Alisha and Rose, are they –”_

“ _Vampires? Yeah, they are.”_

“… there might be a fair few here. It might be someone you might not suspect.”

“Should we … be careful?”

Mikleo fell silent for a moment. Yes, discovering what Sorey truly was left him frightened, but he could not say he was scared of Sorey himself. He had been right in saying that he could have hurt Mikleo if he had wanted to. Mikleo did not doubt at all that he would be overpowered. Yet he hadn't – Sorey barely touched him, aside from holding his wrist, the skin of which still seemed to tingle from Sorey's lips brushing against it.

Part of him thought he might have been insane for thinking so, but he strongly believed that he was safe with Sorey, that he would not be harmed by him.

 _'Or at least, not without consenting to that,'_ he added in his mind, remembering what Sorey said about never feeding without consent. The fact that he seemed so sure that Mikleo would give this consent was possibly what made his heart pound the most.

“I'd say be cautious,” Mikleo said eventually. “But I wouldn't say they're out to attack us. After all, wouldn't something had been done by now?”

“I guess so. What about Sorey? How is _he?”_

Mikleo hesitated for a moment. “W-Well, he believed in them already, didn't he?”

“I still thought he'd get shaken up.”

He merely shrugged his shoulders, now slipping off his shoes. He got up from the bed. “I'm heading to the bathroom to cool myself off. I feel less feverish now.”

“You're less pale, too.” Edna paused for a moment, running her tongue over her lips. “Are you sure you're all right?”

“I think I am. I'm just in shock.”

“Well, I would be too if I saw a vampire. _I'm_ shocked right now, and I'm not even the one who saw them.”

Mikleo hummed in agreement. He made his way over to the bathroom without another word.

Yes, their existence in itself was a shock, but Edna did not understand the truth length of it. He was not sure of the right word to use for himself in this situation – targeted? Craved, like Sorey had said?

Either way, he should have been terrified. Yet as his eyes cast down from his reflection to his wrist, a finger running over the veins, he found that he was not nearly as fearful as he should have been. He was completely unsure of his emotions.

 

* * *

 

 

During the night, his anxiety had settled, instead replaced by exhaustion which stopped him from having many thoughts at all. It was in the morning that it spiked again. There was no avoiding Sorey when they shared classes together. Though he was not sure if he wanted to avoid him anyway.

Edna seemed to notice this anxiety, yet kept quiet about it, which he was grateful for. She probably assumed that it was simply from the confirmation that vampires existed. Which, Mikleo found himself realising, was hardly a part of his anxiety. He was so caught up with Sorey himself that he barely had even a thought to spare for the existence of his kind in general.

He was determined, however, to not seem as though he was on edge. He walked into the classroom in his normal manner, eyes scanning the room. For a moment, he considered switching seats, but then he noticed Sorey and Alisha waving. He walked over to them instantly.

“I'm so sorry, Mikleo!” Alisha exclaimed as soon as he was closer. His eyebrows raised. He had not expected a greeting like that.

“Sorry?” he questioned, sitting down next to Sorey and managing to keep his eyes locked on Alisha. “For what?”

“For not being able to convince Sorey that taking a poor innocent guy out at _night_ to show off his fangs was a bad idea!” Her voice lowered as more people began to walk inside. “He and Rose were all for this, but I knew how scared it could make you. Honestly Sorey, what were you thinking?”

“Eh … I told you why I did that!”

“Yes, but I still don't believe it was the way to go.” Her eyes fell back on Mikleo, still bearing guilt. “I really am sorry. Sorey hasn't fed directly for a long time, so I guess he's feeling frustrated.”

“It's not that.”

“Yes, it is.”

“It's not!”

“You always were an awful liar, Sorey.”

“Well, that's _part_ of the reason. But trust me, you know I wouldn't do anything.” His gaze fell on Mikleo. “You've not even given me an answer yet, have you?”

“H-Huh?” Mikleo said, taken off guard from being addressed unexpectedly. “An answer to what?”

“You know what.” Sorey tapped onto the wrist which Mikleo had resting on the table. “That.”

“You don't have to say yes,” Alisha said hurriedly. “Usually, if we feed off someone directly, they know of our existence first …”

Sorey let out a laugh, scratching the back of his head. “Well, yeah, but … I really was being honest over being drawn to Mikleo more than anything else.” He looked back at Mikleo, giving him a smile. “I'd teach you first. How about that? Then you can know everything.”

“All that for me to eventually say no?”

“I'm certain you're not going to say no, remember? And either way, I enjoy your company. I'd love to teach you about me!”

Mikleo blinked. It was strange to hear Sorey's innocent and cheerful voice speak about something as dark as this, especially compared to how his demeanour had been the night before. Sorey had said both sides were him, yet Mikleo was not quite sure he could understand that. Perhaps now was a moment in which Sorey was not giving into that side of him as much.

“Teach me what, exactly?” he found himself asking.

“About how we live and all that. I can't really go into detail when someone might overhear, but … well, I think it'd be good for you to not be so blind. I really was being stupid last night.”

“He wanted to impress you,” Alisha chipped in, giggling when Sorey pouted.

“It _was_ pretty dramatic,” said Mikleo. He shouldn't have been enjoying this situation so much. “All right. I'm still in shock about everything, so I think if I just walked away from this … I'm not sure how to put it.”

“That you'd be unfulfilled?” Sorey prompted, Mikleo nodded.

“Something like that. And I'm not as afraid as you'd think I would be, so I want to understand that, too.”

Sorey nodded. “I can help you with that. Just leave it to me.”

Mikleo smiled, able to feel Sorey's eyes still on him as he looked away, to the direction of Lailah, who was now entering the classroom. It was almost laughable that on the second day, his mind was already shifting away from what he was actually at the university to do.

Learning that vampires existed and that one desired him was certainly not the kind of distraction he had expected.

 

* * *

 

 

Mikleo found his chance to speak to Sorey that evening, for Edna was going to go to the library with classmates. He knew that she would be against him going out again at night. He himself knew that it was not his best idea, but he was still feeling safer than he'd expect around Sorey. In fact, he found himself excited over learning more.

He waited for when Edna had been gone for ten minutes before leaving himself. The night outside felt just as it had done so physically the night before, only now there was a different vibe to it.

Sorey was standing to one side of the building and, similarly to how Mikleo had been, was looking up at the sky. Yet unlike Mikleo, he seemed to sense his presence easily, and looked at him before he got close.

“Good evening,” he greeted with a smile. “I'm surprised you actually showed up.”

“So am I, to be honest.”

Sorey chuckled softly. “You must be pretty brave, especially as you didn't even believe in us twenty-four hours ago. Shall we go, then?”

“Go where?”

“I was thinking where we were yesterday. It's quiet there, so no one will overhear. Plus, I think you'd rather be outside, wouldn't you? So you know you could call for help if needed.”

Mikleo was unsure of what to say. Strangely, he thought it would be rude to agree. “I'm not really thinking that.”

“It's fine to. I gave you a pretty big shock last night, and you don't know much about me. It would only be normal for you to want some kind of security.”

“Are you _trying_ to get me to stop trusting you?”

“Not at all, that's why I'm being honest. Though to say that, it means that you already have some amount of trust in me.”

He gave Mikleo a knowing grin, who opened his mouth to speak, yet no words came out. Sorey chuckled to himself, looking ahead again.

“I'm … well, glad to know that. You don't really come off as the kind of person who would trust too easily. If anything, you seem cautious. So I must be pretty special to you already if I'm treated differently.”

Mikleo stayed silent. Thinking over Sorey's words, he realised that there was a huge amount of truth there. He was not necessarily someone who could not trust others, but he certainly avoided doing so before he was confident he would not get hurt by it. The fact that there was at least some trust there for Sorey was surprising to him.

And it was clearly there – he would not allow himself to be alone with Sorey in this darkness, otherwise.

“This is quiet enough, right?” Sorey asked, glancing around them. “Want to sit down?”

“Sure,” Mikleo responded, waiting for Sorey to sit down on the grass before joining.

“So, I kind of feel like there's a lot you might want to know,” he said, resting back on his hands as he looked at Mikleo, whose posture was a lot more tense. “Do you have anything you want to ask?”

“How old are you?” he blurted out, immediately feeling a little embarrassed. “I-I mean, vampires are immortal, aren't they? So …”

“Sort of immortal. Our bodies do age eventually, and then we turn to dust. But we last for a long time. As for _my_ age, that's the same as yours!”

Mikleo felt surprised. “Wait, really?”

“Uh-huh. What, do I look old or something?”

“No, not at all. I just … well, I guess I was expecting you to say you were centuries old.”

Sorey laughed and shook his head. “Nah. Me, Alisha and Rose are all young vampires, still. You see, vampires _can_ be born, and up until we're at around our mid-twenties, we'll age. Then it just kind of stops.”

“Oh, I see … and you've always had to drink … blood?”

“Yep, always. We can live off animal blood, but it doesn't sustain us as much as human blood. And in case you're wondering, I've _never_ killed for human blood.”

“I never thought you would have,” said Mikleo hurriedly. “I just … maybe it's kind of dangerous to assume these things. But I just couldn't believe that you would be someone who could murder a human.”

“You're right about that. Vampires … well, I'd be lying if I said that we're not above humans, because technically we are. On the food chain, in terms of power – we're definitely higher. But … well, vampires are so similar to humans that it feels wrong to treat them as though they're actually under us, you know? And kill them without mercy.”

“So if you don't kill, how exactly do you get blood?”

“Humans who know about us are willing to give their blood to us directly – donated, or with a price.”

“A price?”

“Money. Or … well, they see the pleasure it brings as enough of a payment. Non-direct donations are different, and are sold in vials – we have places we can go to if we're in desperate need of blood, and will be given those for free. Some also sell them. It really does depend on the contacts you have and what kind of area you live in.”

“I see … and what do you usually do?”

“I mostly buy vials. But I've taken it directly from time to time.”

An image went through Mikleo's mind of the thought of the fangs he saw delving into someone's neck, and he couldn't stop himself from shuddering. Sorey seemed to notice, and grinned.

“Does that feel weird to think about?”

“I guess. And, well …” He stopped. There was no way that he could say how his shudder had not been triggered by a weird feeling or any fear, but rather how there was something strangely appealing about it. And once again, Sorey seemed able to read him.

“That's normal, you know.” His grin had reached from ear to ear. “I mean, I did say it's what humans desire, right? But … well, that's usually when they already knew, and have a full understanding. Maybe you're a little different in that case.”

“I – I never said I desire it.”

“You don't have to. You might still be unsure of things yet, but I can read you pretty easily.” Sorey sat up straight, eyes still on Mikleo. “You're really cute when you blush like that.”

Mikleo pressed the back of his hand to a warm cheek. “I'm not blushing.”

“Yes you are. Did I mention that we have pretty good eyesight as well as sense of smell?”

He laughed at Mikleo's huff, watching as he folded his arms. His posture was noticeably more relaxed than it was before, despite their topic of discussion. Perhaps it was because of how it was much more casual than Mikleo had anticipated.

“So anyway,” he said hurriedly, clearly wanting to move on. “You're a university student, right? So what about the sun and such?”

“Oh, I'm fine in the sun.”

“Seriously? Don't tell me you sparkle.”

Sorey laughed loudly, shaking his head. “No, I don't sparkle. Basically, you _can_ transform a human into a vampire. But they're weaker, with more vulnerabilities. Humans are not the same as vampires, and transforming one is risky. They're basically corpses, so can't handle the sun. But born vampires are a lot stronger.”

“What about reflections?”

“Same thing – born vampires are fine with that. It's strange, how a vampire who was once a human is less human than an actual vampire, really. But I guess a corpse can only handle so much.”

“That's really fascinating. I never would have believed it was like that.”

“Well, you didn't believe we existed anyway.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I do, I do. So, I don't think there's much to say on that part, really … oh, aside from that we can eat regular food. We just have to do extra exercise to burn it off. Thought you might want to know about that!”

“I was wondering for a moment about how you, Alisha and Rose were eating normal food.”

“Yeah, we like it for the taste, and to fit in as a human. But we don't actually need it. So! Is there anything else you're thinking about?”

Mikleo ran a tongue over his lips, feeling a little anxious again. More over himself, for wanting to question it. “W-Well … there's one thing that I guess I'm curious about.”

“What's that?”

“You mentioned briefly how … well, it feels to be bitten. But I was wondering if there was more to it.”

“Want to prepare yourself, do you?”

“Don't tease, I'm just curious!”

Sorey laughed. “All right, all right. Being bitten by a vampire realises endorphins. You can imagine it's painful, but that level is controlled – every person is of course different with the amount of pain they can, and want to, handle. But every person would feel at least feel _some_ amount of pleasure.” Sorey paused for a moment – perhaps for effect, Mikleo guessed. It certainly worked. “A bite is very intimate, hence why a lot of vampires simply choose to use vials of blood. When done in a controlled situation, it is a very trusting situation, the vampire ensuring that they are careful with how much they consume and how deeply they bite, whilst the human is expected to indicate if it becomes too much. They can usually tell when the pleasure stops and all they feel is the pain.”

“I see … It does sound very, well …”

“Sexual?”

“Yeah.”

Both let out a laugh. “Well, that's because it is,” said Sorey. “Our blood lust is tied in to actual lust. But of course, it's not like this for _every_ vampire. Some simply want to feed directly because they prefer the taste, and some humans might see the pleasure as not sexual at all, but rather just a pleasant feeling. I suppose that's mostly with those who are asexual?”

“And which are you like?” Mikleo asked before he could stop himself.

“I'll let you decide that one for yourself as we get to know each other. For now, would you like to feel it?”

“So soon?” Mikleo questioned, his eyes wide. “Th-That's … well …”

“I don't mean properly! I mean just a slight prick of your finger. Neither of us would feel much at all. You'd just feel a small sensation – that's why I thought it'd be easier for you to become accustomed.”

Mikleo hesitated for a moment, yet was much too intrigued to do anything but ask, “Will it hurt?”

“Not much. Have you ever had a needle prick your finger? Like to test for diabetes?”

“Yeah, I have. It's like that?”

“Yup! Barely hurts at all.”

“All right … then yeah, you can go for it.”

“You'll have to excuse me, but my eyes and such will have to transform for me to grow my fangs. We can't do one or the other, I'm afraid!”

Sorey took hold of Mikleo's hand, raising it up to his mouth. He closed his eyes, and when they opened, they were the same red which caused the hairs on Mikleo's body to stand up on end. He opened his mouth, bearing fangs, and for one panicked moment, Mikleo worried that Sorey might have ended up losing control.

Yet he didn't. The tip of one fang cautiously broke the skin on one finger, the flinch in response only slight. There was barely any feeling from this – it wasn't until Sorey's tongue ran over the bead of blood, sucking on the tiny cut, that Mikleo could feel something a little more. It was too small to tell, but his body had noticeably relaxed a little, and he no longer noticed the pain – but rather, the pleasant sensation that Sorey had described.

Sorey's head rose, his eyes and fangs turning back to normal. “See?” he said, releasing Mikleo's hand. “Barely anything.”

Mikleo looked at his hand. It felt strange to have the sensation fade away, almost as though he felt lost without it. “I do think I felt something,” he said.

“Yeah?”

He nodded. “That's so weird. It's only a tiny cut.”

“Some people feel it more intensely than others. Maybe you're one of those.”

Mikleo shifted his eyes to Sorey, before clearing his throat and looking to the ground instead. “You kind of seem to … like the thought of that.”

“Well, I did say I've craved your blood from the moment I saw you, so … well, the thought of you enjoying that is obviously going to appeal to me.”

“How can you say that so casually?” Mikleo mumbled, gaze still by his feet.

“It's part of our natural feeding process, so I guess I can speak about it without getting embarrassed much. Plus, I've directly fed before, so I'm used to this.” Sorey paused, his smile almost to himself. “Though like I said, I've not felt exactly like this before. I can already tell you're one of a kind. It's become even clearer after you being so willing to listen to me.”

“I'm still questioning my sanity.”

“Aha, well, I can't say I blame you. But listen, Mikleo …”

Sorey shuffled closer, reaching towards him. A hand held his chin lightly, easing his head around so their eyes met. His widened out of surprise, yet were unable to tear away.

“I might be young, so saying this might not mean much. But I'm pretty certain that I'll never find another person like you.”

The hold only lasted moments more after Sorey had spoken, yet there was no mistaking that in that small period of time, his eyes had flickered to Mikleo's neck, revealed from his coat being unzipped. He swallowed, feeling Sorey's gaze on him even after it moved away, despite how short it had been.

“I think that's enough for tonight. You need sleep, after all – I should probably have some, too.” He got to his feet, holding a hand out to Mikleo. “Thank you for listening.”

“There's no need to thank me for that,” Mikleo replied, accepting the hand as he got to his feet. “I appreciate it, even though I'm pretty confused.”

“I hope you at least understand me more, now.”

Mikleo nodded. He really did feel as though he was already in between his own world and Sorey's. And when the two parted minutes later, Mikleo could not quite push away the feeling of disappointment.

 

* * *

 

 

The days passed with simple development between them. No proper amount blood had yet been taken from Mikleo, nor had he yet said that he was going to accept that – they simply continued with the tiny pricks, so Mikleo could become adjusted to it, and figure everything out more.

Sorey was surprisingly sweet. As soon as Mikleo had realised who he was, he had been convinced that this would be impossible. Yet he acted like a regular human would generally. It was only when night fell, and those green eyes would shift to red, that there would be some kind of change in him. Yet regardless of what form he took, Mikleo still felt drawn to him.

Edna was still cautious of what was going on. Mikleo had no yet said anything to her, yet was also not showing the fear he had the night he had discovered Sorey's identity. In Edna's eyes, Mikleo was likely simply spending time with a friend.

Which was not a lie. He and Sorey truly were becoming friends. They did not just speak about Sorey's kind and the details of his desires – there were also times when they would speak about other interests. Books were one of them. Sorey even dropped by in Mikleo and Edna's dormitory to read with him, the two lounging on Mikleo's bed, heatedly arguing about the books' contents.

It made Mikleo believe that there was more to this apparent friendship than what had brought them together. Admittedly, the thought made him feel that touch more drawn to Sorey. It was not merely the desire and pull for the bite which controlled him; it was the enjoyment he got from simply being in Sorey's company. It was the connection that already seemed deeper than the blood running through Mikleo's veins.

Yet another part of Mikleo believed that this blood was the reason that Sorey might have been faking any possibility of friendship. Their shared laughter, smiles, heated discussions entirely unrelated to what Mikleo had been confronted with – Sorey had said it was real, that both the regular student in the day and the creature of the night were both him. But what if that was a lie for Sorey to obtain what he wanted?

Mikleo was not the only one to be questioning this. Whilst Rose was not particularly concerned, Alisha, who often seemed a lot more human than vampire, was. Neither of them were vampires who would take advantages of others, yet she had never seen Sorey like this, either. She did not want him to end up hurting Mikleo emotionally during this hunt for his blood.

And this boy really did seem to be caring for Sorey. As a creature who did not have desires as intense as a vampire's, he was much less likely to be dishonest in order to achieve what he wanted. Alisha might have been wrong, but she knew that it was possible for him to fall for Sorey. Not just for his bite, but for he himself.

She barely knew the human, yet she found herself wanting to make sure he would be fine. Both for himself, but also Sorey, who might have truly liked Mikleo as well.

“Sorey, I want to talk to you about Mikleo,” she began. It was early morning in their living area. This room was located in a house not far from the college, in which a few of the vampires which attended there lived. Aside from the bedrooms, which were each personalised to its resident's tastes and were a lot darker, the house was normal and homely, so that those who came knocking on the door would see nothing out of the ordinary.

“What about him?” said Sorey, leaning back and glancing at her with curiosity.

“I was just wondering how you feel about him.”

“Don't tell me you think that Sorey's gone falling for a human!” Rose laughed. “Humans are great and all, but the whole lifespan thing? Yikes. Don't recommend it.”

“I didn't mean that anyway. I was simply wondering if … you really do care for him, as opposed to just his blood.”

Sorey stared, raising an eyebrow. “Of course I do.”

“That blunt?” said Rose. “How sweet!”

“Isn't it normal for vampires to care for those they feed off, though?” Sorey asked.

“I mean, I guess. But not in this kind of way.”

“You said that you were drawn to him as soon as you met, didn't you?” said Alisha. “Perhaps that has something to do with it. Maybe the two of you are tied, like he's the perfect human for you to feed directly from.”

“You're making this sound like fate,” said Sorey, chuckling.

“Well, that suits a romantic like yourself, doesn't it?” Rose questioned.

“I guess so. But yeah, I do care for him, Alisha. I kind of knew I'd end up doing so as soon as we started talking.” Sorey paused, looking thoughtful. “… Everything seems different when it comes to Mikleo, though.”

“How do you mean?” said Alisha.

“I don't think I've ever seen a human like him. He's just … so beautiful, and almost so pale that he's translucent. It's kind of like he's how a human would imagine a vampire to look, I suppose. Then … the taste of him –”

“I thought you hadn't drank his blood yet?” Alisha interrupted, her eyes growing wide.

“Not properly. But I've still been having drops from his finger. It's not enough for me to properly tell, but … it's sweet. Sweeter than what I've tasted before.”

“You can tell that just from a few drops?” Rose asked, whistling. “Oh man, looks like you found the one for you. But hey, let me have a taste too, all right? I'm …”

Her words drifted off as she looked straight past Alisha to Sorey. Without any warning, his eyes were crimson, and even though his mouth was closed, Rose could picture him bearing his fangs. There was an expression of utter fury written on that face, and despite her usual bravery, she found herself feeling nervous, and gulped.

“Woah, I'm sorry,” she said, letting out a shaky laugh. “You all right there, Sorey?”

He blinked, and as soon as his eyes had opened again, they were fading back to their usual green.

“Y-Yeah, sorry about that. I don't know what came over me.”

“Sorey,” Alisha said slowly, having seen the expression herself, “are you … starting to feel protective over him? Possessive, even?”

“I … haven't thought about it.”

“You grew angry as soon as Rose mentioned drinking his blood herself – there, your eyes glinted red for a moment!”

“Really?” Sorey held a hand up near his eyes. “I mean, I could feel myself getting angry, but …”

“What about if you pictured it properly?” Rose asked. “Actually imagine someone else other than you feeding off him.”

“But why?”

“Just do it.”

Sorey hesitated, before he closed his eyes, and truly thought of that image. A hand holding Mikleo's head back, panted breaths escaping his mouth as the fangs of another, someone who wasn't Sorey, edged towards his slender neck. A tongue gliding over the area which they would puncture, before they sank in, crimson blood trickling down pale skin as a loud gasp escaped from Mikleo's parted lips …

And that's when he was brought to a realisation. He opened eyes were tinted with red, and he was exhaling deeply in order to try and lower the rage which had built inside his chest.

“No one is going to do that,” he said quietly, in a voice which sent a chill down even Alisha and Rose's spines. “Only me. He's mine and mine only.”

Alisha and Rose exchanged a glance, before the first said, “There you have it. You've properly claimed him without even realising.”

Sorey let her words sink in. He knew it was the truth. It was normal for vampires to feel control over their prey, to want them for themselves, yet Sorey knew this was not quite just like that.

He would still have to wait until the day that Mikleo would give in to him. But he was now aware that he would not feel rested until he was given that submission. No one else could have it.


	3. Desire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As more time passes and their connection grows stronger, Mikleo becomes more certain about his own desires.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, I feel so guilty that after all your wonderful comments, I took so long to update! As those who talk to me and follow me would know, I currently have a hand injury, and my depression and exhaustion have also been pretty awful. It kind of got in the way badly, I'm afraid!
> 
> But at least there's an update now, and I do hope you enjoy it.

_He had never felt like this before._

_The touch of fingers against his skin was electrifying. They moved slowly, trailing across a chest which rose up and down quickly from rapid, nervous breaths. Despite these nerves, his eyes could not look away from those which were piercing through him. Their red gleam froze him to the spot. A fly caught in a spider's web._

_The predator leaned down closer to its prey, breaths hot against a pale neck, which their fingers were now wrapping around slowly and carefully. They lifted his head, mouth edging closer to the neck. Fangs just barely scraped across the skin._

_The voice of this man was distant, barely able to be heard, yet Mikleo could still just barely hear the words, “I knew you'd be mine.”_

_Then the teeth sank into his neck. In his sleep, Mikleo was unable to gasp from the pain, yet he still felt it. But there was not only pain he felt. The hands gripping at bed sheets by his head were not doing so because of agony. They did so because of the pleasurable sensation those fangs caused, how the knee between his legs were prising them apart, just barely brushing against his crotch._

_Mikleo could do nothing against Sorey's other hand now unfastening his trousers, but it was not as though he would want to do so regardless. His breathing hitched, sighing as Sorey tongue lapped over the blood dripping from his neck, hand now gliding smoothly over Mikleo's underwear …_

That was when he woke, breathing heavily and with skin lined with sweat. Frozen in place, he simply stared up at the ceiling for countless moments, trying to gather the chaos of thoughts swirling around his mind.

He then asked himself one simple question, _'What was that all about?'_

A blush rose to his face and a hand crept to his mouth. His thoughts were becoming clearer now, able to see his dream with more focused eyes. Sorey. He had dreamt of Sorey, and not only that, but it was in a way which was likely just what Sorey was after. Even worse, it was something that Mikleo himself had enjoyed. Every moment had caught his breath and left him feeling both anxious and excited at the same time.

 _'Goddamn it,'_ he thought to himself, sitting up and brushing hair off his forehead. _'What brought that on? Nothing has even happened between us, yet …'_

Perhaps, deep down, he knew that this might have been caused by how much more relaxed and less anxious he had been around Sorey as of late. The underlying fear he'd previously had no longer seemed to exist. He no longer felt so on edge, the most he experienced being a small amount of nerves. It might have been that this heightened comfort around Sorey was what made him consider the possibility of consenting to him in the end.

_'But … but it's insane, I shouldn't …'_

It did not matter what he should or shouldn't do. Or at least, that is what part of him believed. He felt as though he was beginning to care less about thinking rationally. The thought of risk seemed to pull him in further. It had only been weeks since he had met Sorey, and yet he was feeling their already strong connection growing further, something he had never quite felt before.

As well as noticing the changes in himself, Mikleo could not help but notice that there had been a slight change in Sorey's demeanour.

It was not intense, nor had Sorey actually made any proper moves yet – even though time had passed and it was now October, no boundaries ever being crossed. Or at least, not in real life. Yet no matter how much any lines were respected, they could not change any vibes that Mikleo could sense from him.

He was not exactly sure what to call that he sensed. A higher interest seemed to be nowhere near close, yet he had no other way to describe it. The way Sorey looked at him, how he spoke – there was something more intense there. Perhaps the right wording was a higher desire to be closer. Physically, mentally; it might have been both. He could not know for sure and doubted how he could ask.

Either way, he was learning by now that regardless of what was going to happen, he could never erase Sorey from his life, at least by thoughts and memories of him. He was well and truly caught in something he was starting to realise that he did not want to escape from.

 

* * *

 

 

“Why do we always meet each other out here?”

Sorey turned to Mikleo at the sound of his voice – they had been sitting silently outside, for the first time in a week due to them both also having their studies to focus on. It was a little strange for Mikleo to think about how Sorey, despite how he was not human, was still in fact a student.

They were in their usual spot out of the way of others. It was dark, yet Mikleo had been quick to become used to sitting in it, and could see Sorey a lot more clearly than before.

“Well, we can't exactly go to your dormitory when Edna is there, considering she doesn't know about me.”

“What about your place?”

Sorey let out a sigh, scratching the back of his head. “I don't think that's the best place for you. It seems normal, but it's the home of only vampires. Being there might be overwhelming. Plus …”

“Plus what?”

“Everything would seem different there,” he said quietly. “I wouldn't be able to hold myself back as much, and you're not ready for that.”

Mikleo swallowed, looking down at his hands which rested on top of his knees. “I appreciate the honesty. But … why?”

“It's my own personal space. And a human being willing to be in that domain … it's hard to describe how that makes a vampire feel.”

“Have you ever been in that spot, then?”

“Sort of. I've fed in my own home before, but … well, you already know that it's never been like how I feel towards you.” Sorey smiled, his voice growing brighter. “Guess you're special then, huh? And I want to make sure you're safe, especially at night. Vampires can't control themselves as much when the moon is in the sky.”

“I don't think you'd hurt me.”

Sorey turned to face him. His eyes had grown a little sad. “That kind of trust is what could make you get hurt.”

Mikleo shook his head. “I think you're only saying that as you want me to know that you're doing everything you can to make me as safe as possible. You … you don't seem like the kind who would let go of control if it meant hurting me. Maybe that _is_ just stupid trust. But my instincts are pretty accurate.”

There was silence for a moment, before Sorey said, “You're weird.”

Mikleo huffed, Sorey laughing as his arm was hit. “Oh, shut up.”

“No, really! But I mean it in a good way. There's not many humans like you out there, not at all. I really like that about you.”

“Ugh. Now you're flirting.”

“Haven't I already been doing that from saying how much I crave your blood?”

“W-Well, if you count that as _flirting …”_

Sorey laughed, nodding. “I mean, yeah.”

“Little bit different to how humans flirt.”

“Is that a good or bad thing?”

Mikleo staying silent brought a slight smirk to Sorey's face.

“Well, you've certainly come a long way.”

“I have, but I'm still unsure of things.” Images of Mikleo's dream flickered in his mind, cheeks flushing as he brought his knees up to his chest. “Like why I'm …”

“Why you're what?”

“Questioning why I really do want to just throw away all doubts and really do what you want.”

Sorey seemed to not have expected such a direct answer. He blinked, staying silent for a moment as those words sank in. Those few seconds seemed to drag on for minutes.

“Perhaps you've really accepted the desire,” Sorey responded eventually. “Have you … thought about it, at all?”

“W-Well, I …” Mikleo could not finish his sentence, inwardly groaning as he rested his chin on his knees. He considered hiding his face in them so Sorey did not notice his blush, but he knew it was pointless considering Sorey had likely noticed already. “It's nothing, really –”

“I don't want you to lie to me. Can you be honest? I can't understand how much I can say or do, otherwise.”

Forever keeping an eye on Mikleo's boundaries. It was one thing that had not changed in the weeks that they had known each other. Even if Sorey's lust was strong and had been so from the start, it changed nothing about how much he respected Mikleo. It made Mikleo feel as though he truly should have been honest about everything.

This was why he was able to say, in a quiet, nervous voice, “I dreamt about us.”

A silence fell. During it, Mikleo could feel his heart beat faster from anxiety and tension. Whether Sorey also sensed the latter, he did not know. Perhaps he was the only one who truly felt this tense.

Eventually, Sorey said, “Dreamt about us? Like …?”

“Don't make me say it!” His face finally was hidden in his knees, embarrassment taking over.

“But how else am I supposed to know?”

“I hate your teasing,” Mikleo grumbled, face still hidden. He paused before saying, “I dreamt about you biting me and such. Happy?”

His body froze as Sorey's hand rested itself on Mikleo's waist. He rose his head up, opening his mouth to ask what Sorey was doing, but was unable to say a word before there were lips pressed against his own.

Unable to close them, his eyes grew wide, unable to move as he was pulled closer. The lips were softer than he would have imagined. Yet they still managed to feel rough at the same time, even if Sorey was not putting much force at all into their kiss. It was captivating.

His eyes were still open, staring and unblinking, as Sorey backed away slowly. A light red hue had merged with green irises. He smiled, running his thumb over Mikleo's cheek.

“Very,” he replied, even though the word did not need to be said after his actions. “But … biting and 'such'? What do you mean by that?”

“W-Well, you …” Mikleo stuttered, unable to find the right words to say. Not only did he have no clue as to how he would say it, he was also still stunned by the fact that Sorey had just kissed him.

“I what?” Sorey said softly. An arm wrapped around Mikleo's waist brought him closer, eyes not shifting away from his own. Mikleo found no ability or wish to pull away, the hands which had rested on Sorey's chest not bothering to use any force.

It was likely this which caused Mikleo to admit, “You … touched me.”

“I thought so. And you know that this doesn't just have to be a part of your dreams, right?” The arm around Mikleo's waist crept down, the hand lifting up his shirt and coat slightly to brush against his lower back. His shiver might have been more from the touch itself than the air which hit his skin. “I can do that and more in real life. It's not just your blood I want, Mikleo. It's you as well.”

“I-I don't …”

“Don't what?”

“I don't know,” Mikleo whispered.

“It's what you want. Otherwise, you wouldn't have dreamed of that. So what's stopping you?”

Mikleo had to think over this, for he was not sure himself. Slowly, he said, “I've always been a rational person. I try to not be reckless and do what's sensible.”

“Is that _really_ how you want to be right now, though?”

Mikleo shook his head. “It's not.”

“Then you have your answer, don't you?”

This time, Mikleo nodded. With nervousness, yet also certainty, he closed his eyes, this time prepared for Sorey's kiss. The hands on Sorey's shirt tightened. He was realising now that despite how he had been kissed before, it had never had this much intensity behind it, never once felt as though it truly meant something.

His eyes closed tighter as he felt Sorey's tongue glide across his bottom lip. Mikleo could sense what Sorey was asking; he allowed his lips to part a little further, and almost instantly, a tongue had slipped inside.

He could feel Sorey's hands then lower down from his back, grasping at his backside and pulling him closer with his legs either side of Sorey's, Mikleo's heart beating faster all the while. The touch was not even direct to his skin, yet it still felt stronger than it had done in his dreams. Everything seemed different in reality.

Once Sorey had pulled back, Mikleo was left attempting to catch his breath, one hand releasing Sorey's shirt to press his fingers against his lips.

“First time being kissed like that?” Sorey questioned, Mikleo nodding, eyes averting away.

“Y-Yeah. I've not really … made out with anyone, or anything.”

“So you've not been touched at all?”

Mikleo shook his head, his eyes widening as Sorey's hands squeezed. His gaze diverted back to Sorey immediately, and there was no mistaking how the hue in his eyes was growing brighter.

“Good,” Sorey said quietly. “Because I don't want anyone else to have you.”

His mouth edged towards Mikleo's neck, whose heart skipped a beat as a the tip of a fang grazed across the skin, a tongue savouring it. Yet rather than bite, Sorey kissed down onto the skin deeply, Mikleo letting out a sigh in response.

“S-Sorey, are you going to –”

“Not there first. You've never been bitten properly, and you're small, too … I don't want anything bad to happen to you.” Sorey's head rose up from Mikleo's neck, hands now shifting to cup his cheeks. Sorey's lips curled into a smile which might have seemed innocent if it had not been for the glowing red of his eyes. “Or at least, anything bad which is too much for you.”

He lifted up one of Mikleo's arms, his other hand rolling up the two sleeves covering it so his forearm was exposed. Mikleo hardly noticed the cold which hit it – he was far too focused on Sorey's actions.

“Here is better to start with,” Sorey murmured. “Assuming that you've consented to it by telling me all of this. After all, you can't expect me to not be tempted by blood as I touch you … Or not be tempted to touch you when I feed from you, at that.”

A shiver ran down Mikleo's spine from the words, yet he still found it in himself to nod. “All right.”

“Are you sure? You can still go back, now. I wouldn't be mad.”

“I don't want to. It's okay.”

Sorey's eyes fixed on Mikleo's face. He waited for that expression of doubt, for Mikleo to not truly mean his words. Yet there was no sign of that. And so, Sorey raised Mikleo's arm a little higher, his head lowering. A tongue glided across the pale skin. It did so slowly, as though Sorey was savouring every moment, before the moment his fangs sank into the skin finally arrived.

Mikleo gasped loudly from the pain, thinking for a second that it really was simply painful, that he had made a grave mistake in consenting. Yet it all changed once he calmed moments later. The pleasure that Sorey had described previously washed over him, making him feel calmer and more in bliss than he would realise. There was no doubt that there was also arousal. It was incredible, entirely the opposite of what Mikleo might have believed before Sorey's explanation, and he found himself flushing deeply with the back of his hand pressed over his mouth, watery eyes watching Sorey.

The blood was not sucked out of his body for long, Sorey clearly making sure that he kept to a limit – his teeth exited the skin, tongue gliding over the drops of blood which had seeped from the small wounds. Sorey's eyes glanced up to meet Mikleo's.

“Sweet,” he said quietly, his head rising. “You taste so sweet, Mikleo.”

Mikleo watched Sorey's tongue lick blood which had settled onto the corner of his mouth, before averting his eyes to the wound on his arm – he had expected it to look worse, but it was in fact clean, not much blood at all dripping from it. Sorey had been as careful as possible. A strange sense of gratitude washed over Mikleo when he realised this.

“And that face,” Sorey continued, eyes inspecting the pink cheeks, the hand which still covered Mikleo's mouth. “You know how adorable you look like that, right? It's irresistible.”

Mikleo barely had time to think about what happened next. Hands on his chest pushed him down onto the grass beneath him, before they grasped at his wrists and pinned his arms above his head. His eyes widened, body frozen as he stared at Sorey leaning above him.

“You're not dizzy or anything, are you?” Sorey asked quietly. “Feeling sick?”

Mikleo shook his head. “N-No, nothing.”

“Just had to make sure.”

Keeping his hold on Mikleo's wrists, Sorey's head had lowered once again. His lips trailed kisses down from underneath his ear, stopping at the side of his neck. Mikleo could prepare himself for what was to come once he felt Sorey's tongue press against the skin.

Both the pain and pleasure which were derived from Sorey's fangs puncturing the skin were higher than that in his dreams. The shock could only cause him to inhale sharply. Yet once the pain had settled – or at least, he became accustomed to it quickly, he found himself unable to hold back a moan, teeth immediately biting onto his bottom lip out of embarrassment.

However, Sorey had already heard, and it caused him to react. He pulled one of Mikleo's wrists over to the other, entrapping them with one hand so his other was free. The fingers glided lightly across Mikleo's throat. They then trailed down, lifting up underneath his shirt to touch the skin underneath. His fangs left Mikleo's neck, sucking up the blood which stained it as his fingers rose higher, stroking over a nipple, earning a whimper in response.

“You're so sensitive,” Sorey murmured as he pulled away for a moment, eyes glancing up at Mikleo's face. “That's going to be fun.”

These fingers then squeezing, Mikleo gasping, the jolting of his body unable to pull away from Sorey's grip. A tongue lapped up the blood trickling down his neck, starting from its base and to the wound, his hand trailing further down. Mikleo thought his heart might have stopped as the hand lingered at his hips.

“So-Sorey, wait –”

“What's wrong?”

“I just … if someone hears –”

“Then they'd know that this pretty thing belongs to me.” His voice was low, and Mikleo could feel himself shuddering it alone. “But if you want me to stop, rather than give you what you want …” Mikleo cried out as the hand squeezed at the bulge through Mikleo's jeans, his legs squirming. “Then I can do that.”

“I don't … I-I don't know if …”

“I won't do too much. Not yet. Just enough for you to know how much I want you … and how much you're going to be mine. Is that all right?”

“Y-Yeah.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Because it's taking all I have to hold back right now.”

His mouth pressed against Mikleo's lips, keeping his hold on the wrists in his hand as his other undid the button of Mikleo's jeans, allowing it to slide under more easily. The moan Mikleo released from Sorey's hand pressing through his underwear was muffled by the tongue in his mouth, and he couldn't stop his hips from bucking forward in order to be closer to that contact.

“Mikleo?”

“Y-Yes?”

“Don't move your hands. I want them there, okay?”

“Okay.”

Sorey released them at last, lingering for a moment to make sure they were not moved. That was when Mikleo stared at him in disbelief as he reached into a rucksack discarded to the side and pulled out a bottle of lube.

“… You seriously had that with you?”

He let out a laugh, sounding more like how he was when his eyes and fangs were not transformed this way. “Honestly, I've had it with me since we were getting closer. I knew I wouldn't be satisfied with _just_ your blood.”

This was when what Sorey was holding properly processed in Mikleo's mind. “W-What are you going to do?”

“Nothing that you're not going to enjoy. You trust me, right?”

Mikleo found he did not hesitated to nod. “I do.”

“Then you'll let me do this?”

“Yes.”

His breathing hitched as Sorey's hands pulled down his trousers. The process was slow, building up the beating of his heart, as well as his anticipation and nerves. It was not as though he had no idea how this would felt – he had fingered himself a fair few times, after all. Yet he was not as certain about how it would feel with someone else, the same person who had his blood stained on their fangs.

“Your skin is a little cold, here,” Sorey said as he ran his hand over Mikleo's hip. “It's a good job you'll be warming up soon.”

He then proceeded to pull down Mikleo's underwear. Mikleo ran a tongue over his lips, casting his eyes to the side, legs involuntary shifting as though to cover himself. There was no chance of this happening once Sorey pushed them apart.

“You're already this hard before I've finished.” Mikleo moaned as Sorey's hand ran over his length, his hands laid on the grass clenching into fists. “I don't think you're going to last long this time … but that's all right. It's something we can work on.”

The lube was squirted onto his index and middle finger. For a moment, the redness of his eyes seemed less intense as he looked at Mikleo and asked, “Are you ready for this?”

Mikleo almost surprised himself by how quickly he nodded. His lips pursed as he watched Sorey edge closer towards him, unable to take his eyes away. A single finger brushed against his entrance, Mikleo unsure of if Sorey was teasing or simply was waiting to make sure that Mikleo wanted this for sure, before the finger was slipped slowly inside.

A loud gasp was released. Mikleo was uncertain at first, for he knew his own limits and Sorey would have less clue. Yet moments later, as Sorey's finger steadily eased in and out, wary of how quick it was to build up his pace, Mikleo was able to relax. With an exhale, he closed his eyes, forcing the tension out of his body and focusing primarily on the pleasure he knew he would be able to feel coursing through him.

“Are you okay?” Sorey asked quietly, his spare hand running lightly over Mikleo's thigh. “Do you need me to stop?”

Mikleo shook his head, eyes opening for a moment to glance at Sorey. “N-No, keep going.”

“All right. But tell me if you need to, okay?”

His head nodded this time, a small smile appearing on his face as he closed his eyes. He could not help but feel a rush of emotion when he heard Sorey's voice speak with such genuine concern. It seemed like a contrast to his lust-filled crimson eyes.

As Sorey slowly picked up his pace, Mikleo found himself unable to prevent quiet moans, body beginning to yearn for more. As though sensing this, Mikleo felt Sorey's finger exit him, now circling at his entrance with his middle finger alongside it.

“Is another fine?”

“Yeah, go for it.”

A cry escaped him once two fingers had forced their way inside, their rhythm now smoother. His teeth bit down onto his lip, eyes squeezed shut as he tried to keep himself silent. He soon found himself failing at doing so; he had never felt pleasure like this. Staying silent was impossible.

“Hey, you don't have to do that,” said Sorey as he watched Mikleo's hand press over his mouth to silence himself. “I told you where to leave your hands.”

“B-But it's … ah, it's …” Mikleo tried to catch his breath, unable to focus his mind on his words. Sorey had not slowed at all whilst he had spoken. “I-I can't keep quiet, not when …”

He let out a choked moan, hand returning to his mouth, yet Sorey did not say anything against it this time. Instead, he smiled with an air of fondness.

“All right, if you have to. But one day, we're going to have a few more rules, okay?”

Mikleo was a little unsure of what this meant, yet still nodded regardless. He found himself not wanting to say no to Sorey.

“So-Sorey, I …” he gasped out. “Shit, I can't –”

“This is your first time going through this. I didn't expect us to go on for long.” Sorey's spare hand made its way to Mikleo's erection, who let out a whimper from the contact. “As long as I get to hear sounds like that, I don't mind how long you last.”

Sorey's hand then began to build a rhythm, the thrust of the fingers on his other not ceasing. It did not take long for Mikleo to reach his climax with a cry of Sorey's name escaping through his fingers, semen ejaculating onto his exposed stomach.

Left panting, Mikleo's head fell onto its side, blades of grass tickling his cheek. Steadily, the tension in his muscles relaxed, his fists unclenching. He felt something cold press against his skin, opening his eyes to see that it was a wipe pressing against it to clean him. Sorey's eyes had already mostly transformed back to their usual colour.

“Well, I didn't expect to go this far tonight,” he said, chuckling. “But I don't have any regrets.” Sorey leaned down from above Mikleo to press a kiss on his cheek. “And I hope you don't, either.”

“No, I'm just …”

“In shock?”

“Yeah.”

Sorey smiled with amusement. “Understandable. Can you sit up? Do so slowly.”

Mikleo nodded, easing himself upright with care. His head spun slightly, yet not intensely. He watched as Sorey began to search through his bag.

“What are you doing?” Mikleo asked.

“Well, even though they're barely bleeding anymore, I need to take care of your wounds,” Sorey explained, pulling out bandages. “They could start again if you're not careful, and we don't want to risk any infections.”

“I almost forgot about that, what with … yeah.”

Sorey laughed over Mikleo's tone growing embarrassed in an instant. “I'm sorry, you probably wanted your first time doing something like that somewhere better than on some grass,” he said as he wrapped a layer of bandages around Mikleo's forearm. “Not exactly the most romantic place.”

“Well, we're underneath stars, so that's pretty romantic. Though I doubt that's what you were going for anyway. It's not exactly romantic attraction you have.”

There was a long pause. “Yeah,” Sorey said quietly. “I guess not.”

Mikleo's eyebrows rose for a moment, yet stayed silent as he watched Sorey finish with his arm. For a moment, Sorey seemed a little down, even lost – yet moments later, as though a switch had been turned on, he was smiling again.

“All right, I'll stick this over the one on your neck,” he said, holding up more bandages. Yet as he held it over the wound, there were several moments of hesitation.

“Is something wrong?” Mikleo asked.

“No, I just … sorry, it's just quite an intense feeling to look at a wound there. I'll cover it now.”

Sorey kept to his word, not hesitating any longer to bandage it. He pressed it down firmly on the skin to ensure it did not slip off.

“There we go, all done! It's pretty late now; you should get heading back before Edna worries about you.”

“Worries? She's probably throwing a party.”

Sorey laughed, getting up onto his feet, Mikleo following in his lead. Yet as he did so, a wave of light-headedness washed over him in an instant. He stumbled to the side, Sorey immediately there to catch him.

“Woah, you all right?”

“Yeah … yeah, I'm fine,” Mikleo mumbled, a hand held to his head. “Just pretty dizzy. And I feel a little sick all of a sudden.”

Sorey let out a sigh, sounding guilty as he spoke. “I'm sorry, one bite was enough.”

“No, I let you, it's fine. I thought it'd be all right. I'm sure it'll settle soon, anyway.”

“It will, you're just not used to it yet.” Once he was assured that Mikleo was fine standing without support, Sorey swung his bag over his shoulder before he crouched down on the floor. “Can you get on?"

“You don't have to do that, I'm fine.”

“I'm being careful. I'm still learning your limits. Please, Mikleo.”

Mikleo rubbed the back of his neck, though when he took a step forward and once more noticed his light-headedness, he knew he had to say yes. He placed his hands on either of Sorey's shoulders and clambered on, tightening his hold for a moment as Sorey straightened up to a standing position.

“You're really light,” he commented as he made sure Mikleo was properly in place. Mikleo rolled his eyes.

“Great, back to the teasing.”

“No, I'm not teasing with that. You're light, and slender … I should've known.”

“You can stop going on about that, you know,” said Mikleo. It was strange to hear this amount of guilt be evident in Sorey's voice. “I said you could, remember? And I really am fine. Like you said, I'm just not used to it.”

“I know. I'm just worried I went too far.”

“I never knew you cared so much.”

Mikleo had said these words in a joking tone, yet the response was serious.

“Of course I do.”

A silence fell. Mikleo was a little unsure of how to respond to these words. There had been so much anxiety over whether Sorey was just using him, that there really was nothing more than this attraction between them. To hear Sorey be so concerned and caring was something which Mikleo was not quite used to yet.

It left him confused, doubtful of how he himself saw Sorey. He knew that the attraction had been both ways. Perhaps it had been so from the start, when Mikleo could sense a mysterious vibe from Sorey. that there seemed to have been something special about him from the moment Mikleo laid his eyes on him. But now he was wondering about whether this mere attraction ran much deeper.

“Sorey?” he ended up saying quietly, grateful that Sorey was facing forward. They were beginning to reach the dormitories now, and Mikleo felt his heart sink a little over how they had little time left.

“Yeah?”

“How exactly do … do you feel about me?”

There was a pause. Mikleo was unsure if Sorey seeming to tense up was just in his imagination or not.

“We've talked about that a few times,” Sorey murmured.

“About the feeding aspect, yes. But … but nothing else.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you really just want to feed from me and all of that, why would you also care about my well being like that?”

“Mikleo.” Sorey's voice was quiet. It was the most vulnerable Mikleo had ever heard it. “Please don't ask about that.”

“Why not?”

“Because all I thought about was feeding when we met. I can't think of anything else but that.” He stopped outside of the dormitories' building, turning his head to face Mikleo. “Are you okay standing, now?”

Mikleo nodded, keeping a gentle hold on Sorey as he was lowered to the ground. His legs were a little shaky once he had landed, yet the majority of his dizziness had vanished.

“What do you mean by anything else?” he asked.

“Mikleo –”

“If you were using me, we wouldn't have a friendship like we do, so why –”

“I told you not to ask!”

Mikleo blinked at the suddenly raised volume. Eyes a little wide, he could only stare at Sorey for a moment before he reached for the door behind him. He mentally cursed at how he could feel sadness and disappointment wash over him.

“Fine, I'm sorry,” he muttered. “I was just wondering if I meant more to you than something to toy with. That's all.”

His hand pulled the door open, yet a hand on his shoulder stopped him from proceeding. He was turned around slowly, lips making their way to his own.

It was entirely different to the kisses they had shared not long before. Desperate, yet in a different way. It was not of desire or lust, no essence of Sorey's vampire side obvious in him at all. The kiss was tender. Gentle, and if Mikleo could dare to name it as such, loving.

He was left speechless as Sorey parted, spare hand reaching to his mouth. Sorey smiled – it was easy to tell that it was a little pained, yet simultaneously, it also seemed to be joyful.

“I really do care about you,” he said. “I want to protect you, to take care of you – I thought it was just possessiveness, as we get like that over our prey. But … but you're more than just that. I'm pretty confused about it myself. I desire you, and yet, I also …”

His words trailed off. Letting out a sigh, he removed his hand from Mikleo's shoulder, instead using it to scratch at the back of his head.

“God, did I really use that word? 'Possessiveness'? If I hadn't already scared you off by now, _that_ was bound to do it …”

Mikleo chuckled lightly. “Who knew a vampire could be so dorky?”

“Hey! I have feelings too, you know.”

“I do know. That's why I know you're not just using me. And I'm not scared off by that, by the way. I kind of already guessed it was in your guys' nature to be like that from what you were telling me.”

“I just didn't want you to be uncomfortable.”

“I think I've never been more comfortable with you than I was tonight.” Mikleo ran his tongue over his lips. “Sorey, I …”

“Yeah?”

“I … I don't think I'd want to be with anyone else anyway. No matter what we have or don't have, I just can't be with anyone else now. Is that crazy?”

Sorey paused, before saying with a small smile, “Maybe. I mean, I'm pretty sure there's much more normal options out there for you. But I'd be lying if I said that didn't make me happy. Especially since our bet's technically over, now.” Letting out a small cough, Sorey gestured over his shoulder. “I should get going. Edna's partying has _definitely_ turned to worry by now. See you tomorrow?”

“Of course.” Mikleo could only watch Sorey's back for a moment before blurting out, “And Sorey?”

Sorey turned back around. “What is it?”

“I-I, uh … Have a good night.”

A look of disappointment seemed to reach Sorey's face, but it only lasted for a moment before it was replaced with a small smile. “You too.”

And with a feeling of regret, Mikleo watched for a moment as Sorey walked away, before turning around and opening the door. He let out a sigh as he stepped inside. Thinking of the bandaged wounds concealed by his clothing, he began to make his way to his room, emotions running wild inside him.

 

* * *

 

 

It was only when Mikleo entered the dormitory that he realised how long he and Sorey had been out together. As soon as he was inside and shutting the door behind him, he watched as Edna glared at him, discarding a book she had been reading onto the bed besides her. A flicker of Mikleo's eyes at the clock resting on the nightstand between their beds made him see that it was already almost midnight.

“Where have you been?” Edna asked. Her voice was relatively calm, yet Mikleo could sense that she was feeling otherwise. Even if she rarely admitted it aloud, it was in her nature to worry for him.

“Sorry, I was with Sorey. I got caught up with him and didn't notice the time.”

“What were you even doing? You usually don't spend _that_ long together.”

Mikleo stayed silent, hesitating as he went to unzip his coat. He realised that he would be presenting the bandages on himself by doing so. Instead, he went to reach for his pyjamas, deciding to instead get changed in the bathroom.

“A reply would be nice,” said Edna, her frustration now beginning to show.

“Just … the usual, really. I like his company, and time passes quickly.”

Yet Edna was clearly not satisfied with his answer. She took hold of his arm to stop him from walking away. He was a little startled by how blue eyes were looking at him in desperation.

“I know you're lying to me. You've been going out so often at night, even after …” Edna's words trailed off as she tried to work out what to say. “Mikleo, I want you to be honest with me for once. What's going on with Sorey?”

Mikleo stared at her, wondering if she had managed to work things out on her own. “What do you mean?” he asked slowly.

“I mean if there's something more going on between you two. This is going to sound crazy, but … if Sorey is a vampire.”

A tense silence fell. Edna had clearly been observing intensely without Mikleo knowing anything about it. He had assumed that nothing would be figured out, that Edna would simply accept that Mikleo and Sorey were good friends. Mikleo might have perhaps been foolish to believe that Edna would suspect little from his and Sorey's times together.

“How … how did you …”

“Work it out? A few things, really. Rose is a big reason.”

Mikleo blinked. He had not expected that answer. “Rose?”

“Yeah. She's … well, she's hinted at it a lot. I think she likes trying to spook me.”

“Hang on, so you know she's –”

“A vampire? Yeah. I didn't say anything because I felt like something might happen. It's weird, I've never been like that before.” She paused for a moment, a knowing look in her eye as she then said, “And it's been like that for you, hasn't it? Feeling as though it'd be wrong to say anything.”

“Yeah … yeah, that's right.”

“So what _has_ been going on between you two? Are you … dating?”

“I – I don't even know what we are. He always seemed more interested in …”

Mikleo's words trailed off, a tongue running over his lips. His mind went back to the conversation that he and Sorey had shared outside the dormitories, where Mikleo had learned that Sorey's interest seemed to be more than what it appeared to be on the surface.

This halt in his speech made Edna grow suspicious. Frowning, she got to her feet, Mikleo's eyes widening as she reached for the front of his coat.

“H-Hey, what are you doing?”

“There's only one thing I can imagine that you can mean by that.”

“No, wait, Edna –”

He was too late to stop her from tugging the zip of his coat down. Whilst his forearm was still covered, his neck, the most clear sign of all, was exposed once his collar had moved away from it.

Not only were Edna's eyes going to see the bandage which covered the bite marks, there was no mistaking the love bites that surrounded it, more than just a simple feeding. Mikleo was quick to back away and pull up the collar of his coat, but by then, it was already far too late. Edna had seen everything.

“He … _bit_ you? And …”

“I consented to it,” Mikleo said hurriedly. He felt a desperation to defend Sorey. “He didn't attack me or anything.”

“But why? Why would you consent to that?”

“It's … it's complicated. It doesn't just hurt, it …”

“What the hell is wrong with you? Isn't this dangerous?”

“I'm fine, he didn't take that much blood.”

Edna didn't seem convinced. Mikleo had never seen her look so worried for him. Perhaps she was even frightened – the fact that her face had paled seemed to suggest that.

“Mikleo.” Her voice was trembling, and the use of his real name made him see how serious she was. “Maybe he didn't, and maybe you did let him. But … but he's larger. Stronger. And I'm pretty sure that vampires would be stronger than humans generally, too.”

“What about it?”

“Isn't it obvious? He could lose control and hurt you! Haven't you thought about that?”

“Of course I have. But he really was careful, I swear he was. He … he really does care for me.”

“It might seem that way. But what if he's lying?”

Mikleo shook his head. He was beginning to lose his patience, yet at the same time, understood her doubts. After all, he'd had those very same doubts himself, and had only truly lost them a short while earlier.

“I don't think he's lying. Not at all.”

“Even if you think that, there's no telling what his true intentions are. He could easily overpower you, do what he wants –”

“And I want him to.”

The words had left his mouth before he could stop them. Surprised with himself, he swallowed, watching as the same surprise was expressed on Edna's own face. Both remained silent, words being repeated in their minds.

The silence was broken at last when Edna said, “You've gotten yourself some crazy shit, here.”

Mikleo could not help but laugh – it was slightly forced, yet he truly did feel amused by the bluntness. “Yeah,” he agreed. “I think I have, too.”

With a roll of her eyes, Edna stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Mikleo's waist, hands resting on his back. Taken aback, Mikleo's body remained still before he returned the hug, bringing her a little closer.

“I can't stop you from doing anything, even if I think you're being an utter idiot,” she said. “But be careful, all right? I don't want to lose my brother.”

Mikleo shook his head, a hand running through her hair. “You won't. I would never leave you.”

The two remained in each other's arms, hearts beating quickly, uncertainty running through their minds. About whether Mikleo was making the right choices, if coming to this university was the biggest mistake they could have made.

Mikleo felt as though he was safe. But as he could feel her tremble a little in his arms, he felt guilty over letting himself go this way.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick note to say thank you for your support! I'm so glad I went through the idea of doing a chaptered story for part ten of this series and I'm happy that people are enjoying it.
> 
> I'll try to update a little faster next time, but as the next two chapters are likely going to be longer, I'll have to wait and see. Please bear with me!


	4. Love amongst Lust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorey and Mikleo begin to properly accept the feelings they have for each other, allowing them to grow closer both physically and emotionally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I'm sorry that this took so long! Those who follow me on social media and speak to me would know that I've had a very drastic decline in my health that I've not managed to recover from in already a month. Yikes. So I ended up getting caught up in other things until I finally brought myself to start this on Thursday!
> 
> Hopefully the length makes up for the wait. Enjoy!

When Sorey returned home that night far later than he had planned, it was clear that there was something which had changed about his presence and the atmosphere he brought. Sitting on the sofa in their lounge was Alisha and Rose, both of whom had been chatting until Sorey walked in. That was when they quietened.

“What?” Sorey questioned, letting out a laugh. “What did I do?”

Rose sniffed, raising an eyebrow as she watched Sorey walked over to the armchair. “There's more blood in you than usual.”

“Wow, is it that obvious? I really did try not taking too much …”

“Wait, so you _have_ drank straight from a human?” Alisha asked, her eyes widening. “Was it –”

“Yep, it was Mikleo.”

Both stared at him silently. He wondered why they were so surprised – after all, they themselves knew how determined vampires could become when they had a specific craving that not anyone could satisfy. Even if the two had not experienced this themselves, it was still common knowledge. Though he also knew that there would have been natural doubt. After all, Mikleo had no idea about the presence of Sorey's kind before they had met. Even Sorey himself had known from the beginning that expecting something so huge might have left him disappointed, and this was likely what the other two had also been thinking.

Following their stunned silence, Rose grinned and jumped up to her feet so she could jog over to Sorey, punching his arm lightly. “That's my guy! Knew you could do it.” She wrapped an arm around his shoulders, grinning. “So come on, where are the details?”

Sorey laughed, shrugging her arm off him. “That's a bit too private, don't you think?”

“Come on, you've never cared for that before … Spill!”

“I'm being serious.” The tone of Sorey's voice emphasised this; previously light and joking, it had grown less so quickly. “I don't want to invade his privacy like that.”

“Awh, you're no fun.” Rose slid back down next to Alisha, seeming that she too had grown more serious. “That's … pretty incredible, actually.”

Alisha nodded in agreement. “I've been a little against this from the start, as we usually don't prey on those who are so oblivious, but …”

“Seems as though your boyfriend is different, huh, Sorey?” Rose questioned, her cheerful tone returning with her laughter when a stunned expression and a hint of a blush reached Sorey's face.

“B-Boyfriend?!”

“Uh, yeah.”

“He's not my boyfriend. We've just … yeah.”

“Sorey, Rose and I were talking, and we really do think you have feelings for Mikleo,” said Alisha. “I know you blamed your protectiveness and desire for him all on your nature, and how you see him as 'different'. But … well, the extent of it makes us feel as though there is something more here than just your natural cravings.”

Sorey's eyebrows furrowed, eyes averting to the hands resting in his lap. Of course he knew this. He had known since the two of them became friends that there was more to this bond than mere desire. If there was not, he would not enjoy the discussions the two had over their interests, feel his heart grow warm over Mikleo's laughter. He would not care so much about Mikleo himself rather than merely the blood running through his veins.

He could not deny how much he desired this blood, nor could he deny how desperate he was to have Mikleo submit to him, to allow him to truly give in to the height of his desires. Yet that was not all. As intense as these wishes were, what truly caused what he felt for Mikleo to be so passionate was how romantic attraction was also mingled in there.

Sorey was more aware than anyone that somewhere along the way, the boy he had thought was simply going to be his prey became someone who filled a hole in his heart, one he had not realised existed.

“I don't want them,” Sorey ended up saying eventually, his voice quiet.

“What do you mean?” Alisha asked gently.

“Feelings for him. I don't want them. You know how hard it gets for a vampire to fall for a human.” Sorey let out a sigh, resting his head against his hands. “It's always the same. They fall apart because the vampire is the only one who stops ageing, the human feels like they're just being used, or they worry about the future before it even arrives. Then there's …”

Sorey swallowed. He had no will to dip into the story of the lives of humans who have been transformed, yet he did not have to. He knew Alisha and Rose understood.

“So what are you gonna do?” said Rose. “Are you going to leave all this now before you get ahead, or see how it goes?”

Sorey paused for a moment before replying. “I don't know. Both don't feel … enough.”

“Because you want to be with him now, don't you?”

He nodded his head. “Yet I can't be.”

“I'd say there is no harm in simply speaking to him,” said Alisha. “You never know what could happen. I – well, I don't think you should give up on him before something starts. Or at least, something that's not all down to lust.”

Sorey rose his head as he spoke again. “I … I guess so. It's a Saturday tomorrow, so maybe I could drop by?”

“I think you should. These feelings will tear you apart otherwise, and …”

“They might make you lose control of yourself and hurt him,” Rose finished for her. “And none of us want that. If you two are going to be wild and go at it, then we've got to make sure there's safety first, right?”

He chuckled, nodding his head once more. “Yeah, you're right. I'll go speak to him.”

“You've never really liked someone romantically before, have you?” Alisha asked.

“I … I don't think so. Can't be much harder to talk about than wanting to suck his blood though, right?”

Alisha giggled. “I suppose not. Go get yourself some rest then, Sorey. There's only so much even a creature of the night can take without getting enough sleep.”

From her words, Sorey was able to instantly notice that he was in fact fatigued, which was a rather strange feeling for him to have aside from the times he woke up. “That's true. I'll go and sleep, now.” He got to his feet, speaking again as he turned. “And uh, thank you both for this, really. It felt good to talk about.”

Both smiled at him. “No need to thank us for that!” Rose exclaimed. “It's what we're here for.”

“She's right. Go ahead and rest, Sorey.”

He returned a smile to them both. His feet then took him out of the room and up the stairs, true tiredness now seeming to wash over him. A hand was held in front of his mouth as he yawned. Was this what it was like for humans when they missed out on some sleep? It was not as though he had never been tired before, but it did not usually come so easily. It was typically continuous nights without sleep which is what truly seemed to bother him.

His hand reached for the door handle of his bedroom, opening and shutting it without turning on the light, instead simply allowing his eyes to quickly adjust to the dark. He shrugged off a hooded sweatshirt and folded it over a chair laid by a desk, a T-shirt underneath following it. Torso now bare, he removed his trousers, hesitating once his eyes had landed on the bed. Rather than enter it straight away, he instead pulled out the top drawer of his chest of drawers.

“Who knew that it would have gone much deeper than this,” he murmured to himself as his fingers glided over the cool touch of metal inside, formed in the shape of cuffs connected by a chain. “I thought I'd just want to use you, and yet …”

Confusing images of what he wanted mingled together in his head. Mikleo happily smiling, eating into a meal that Sorey had bought for him on a date. But then also Mikleo panting, begging, completely at Sorey's mercy and control. It was two sides to Sorey that he was certain at first had been separate, yet now seemed to be forming together. He wanted it all.

Mentally shaking his head, he shut the drawer quickly and slid into bed. Now was not time to let himself feel frustrated. He simply had to focus on what was going to happen the following day.

 

* * *

 

 

As Mikleo turned over in the morning upon waking, he frowned as he felt a small stinging in his neck. His fingers pressed against it, wondering if he could feel the cause. As soon as he felt the bandage plastered over the skin, it hit him instantly. He could not forget what happened so easily.

His fingers were still held over the bandage as he sat up in bed. The wounds did not hurt as much as he had expected they would – in fact, he could hardly feel the pain at all in his arm. He peeled back the bandages over the skin to check. The bite marks were still there, yet already seemed a little fainter. Mikleo made a mental note to question Sorey as to why they could heal so quickly.

Sorey. The thought of the man himself seemed to send a shiver down Mikleo's spine. If he had thought that Sorey had some kind of control over him before, from the way that Mikleo seemed to have a desire to obey him instantly as soon as he saw those intense eyes, then this control was certainly there when the two were intimate. Mikleo could not deny how much he wanted to see the extent of it.

“ _I don't think you're going to last long this time … but that's all right. It's something we can work on.”_

“ _All right, if you have to. But one day, we're going to have a few more rules, okay?”_

This time. One day. Both implications that what was between them would grow stronger, that there would be more times in which the two would be together in such a way. And perhaps if this was all Mikleo could remember Sorey saying the previous night, Mikleo might have still had the worry that Sorey was using him.

But then he remembered his and Sorey's discussion before the two parted for the night. It seemed painfully clear to Mikleo that there was something weighing heavy on Sorey's chest, something which he was trying his hardest not to say. And it was not wishful thinking when he was certain what this was. After all, even if he had not known about vampires for a long time at all, he was still certain that he understood just how many difficulties romance between their kind and a mere human would bring.

“God, you look like you're going to start crying or something. What's up with you?”

Mikleo's eyes glanced upwards at Edna standing at the doorway leading to their room, fully dressed with a small bag of groceries in one hand. After placing a bag of sugar in a cupboard, she opened the door to their refrigerator with a jug of milk now in her hand. All the while, Mikleo was trying to think of the right words to say.

“I'm not going to cry,” was the first thing he ended up saying. “I just … I was thinking of Sorey, that's all.”

“Looks like what you two have now is going way past mere kinkiness,” she commented in a matter-of-fact tone, placing a loaf of bread onto the counter before turning round to Mikleo, smirking at the pink tint rising to his face.

“W-We've not done anything like that.”

“I think letting a guy drink your blood goes under the 'kinky' category. Though you're probably too innocent for much else … maybe.” She walked over to him, eyes landing on his bare arm. “Huh. It wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. Does it hurt?”

“Barely. My neck hurts a bit more than that, but still not much. I think he did it pretty carefully.” He peeled off the bandage on his neck to check it himself, yet Edna's eyes were the first to see it.

“Yeah, that ones larger and redder, but … well, it's not that deep at all. Guess he didn't want to hurt you too much.”

“He was pretty worried because of my build,” Mikleo explained as he held up his phone in front of him, turning on the front camera to check the wound himself. “You're right, actually.”

“I mean, I still find it weird that you have bite marks at all. Maybe it wouldn't look as bad without those hickies. But yeah, looks like he definitely _was_ careful. Didn't want to harm the midget.”

Mikleo shot her a glare. “' _Midget'_? Like you can talk.”

She ignored him. “So … what's going to happen now?”

“I don't know. I … I guess I'll see how it goes.”

“Well, let's hope it ends up going all right, then.” She turned her head at the sound of knocking on the door, Mikleo raising an eyebrow.

“Knocking at this time?”

“It's like half-past ten already, Meebo.”

“… Oh.” His eyes finally noticed the time on his phone. “So it is. I must have been more exhausted than I thought.”

“I wonder why.” Edna opened the door, her words immediately causing Mikleo to sit up straight. “Sorey?”

“Good morning! Is Mikleo in here?”

“Yes,” he called, worried that Edna would have lied. However, she ended up stepping to the side, waving her hand in Mikleo's direction. Sorey's eyes widened a little and he was immediately hurrying inside.

“Are you all right?! You're not sick or anything, are you?” he asked once he was stood by Mikleo's bed.

Startled, Mikleo shook his head quickly. “No, I just ended up sleeping in.”

“Guess your biting took something out of him.”

The room fell silent, all but for a sharp inhale by Mikleo. He looked at her, yet couldn't find it in himself to glare – after all, he could tell the difference by now between Edna truly being angry, or when this emotion was caused by worry. Sorey glanced at Mikleo's neck before his eyes averted to Edna.

“I … I-I didn't attack –”

“I know you didn't,” Edna interrupted him with, folding her arms. “I'm just making sure that you're not aiming to harm him.”

“Edna …” Mikleo started, stopping when Sorey turned around and smiled at him reassuringly.

“I'm not going to hurt him,” said Sorey, eyes landing back on Edna. “I know you two are close, so it's normal for you to worry. I'm glad that you are, if anything. But I'm not going to push Mikleo into anything he doesn't want to do.”

“I don't know much about vampires aside from what Mikleo and Rose have told me, but are you sure you can truly control yourself?”

“Yes. I've been doing my best all this time to do that.” Even though Mikleo could not see how Sorey's face fell, he could hear that it did in his voice. “And I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I would have rather told you myself in a much better way, rather than have you worry.”

Edna shrugged. “I'm not _that_ worried. I'd just rather have my brother alive than dead.”

“I feel honoured,” Mikleo joked, trying to bring a little light to the conversation. He smiled at Sorey when he turned back to him. “What brought you here, anyway?”

“O-Oh yeah, of course. Can we … talk?”

Mikleo blinked, hesitating for a moment. “Um, sure. What about?”

“Just … stuff. We could – uh, we could go for breakfast if you've not had it yet? On me.”

“I, uh … yeah, sure.”

“Sounds like a date.”

“ _Edna!”_

Sorey laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess it does. I'll wait outside –”

“You don't have to do that; it's cold, after all,” Mikleo interrupted quickly. He pulled back the duvet over him and stepped into a pair of slippers. “I'll go get dressed in the bathroom, so you can wait here if you like.”

“Vampires don't feel the cold much, remember?” Sorey said teasingly.

“Y-Yes, well, I still don't like the thought of you being out there.” He walked over to his wardrobe, pulling out clothes and underwear. “I won't be long.”

“Take your time!” Sorey watched as Mikleo closed the bathroom door after him before he sat down onto Mikleo's bed, eyes turning to Edna. “Has he always worried over people like that?”

“I'd say. He tries to hide it, but he's always worrying about _something.”_ Edna walked over to her own bed to sit down onto it. Her shoulders were hunched with her hands were resting almost nervously by her sides, giving the impression that she was closed off from Sorey. “He's been worrying about the situation with you a lot, I think.”

Guilt stabbed in Sorey's chest. “I never meant for that to happen, really.”

“Maybe you're lying, maybe you're not. But either way, getting caught up with a vampire like this is going to worry him.” She paused for a moment. “What are your intentions with him?”

“Intentions?”

“Like are you just after his blood? Something else?”

“I …” Sorey found himself struggling to find the rest of his words. “I do like him a lot. But I'm still unsure of how to answer that myself.”

Edna hummed, crossing one leg over the other. She seemed as though she was becoming less on edge. “You don't seem to be lying. Meebo's just never been this reckless. Hell, he's always been hesitant to go on first dates just in case he thinks that the guy might turn out to be a creep, never mind something like all of this. So you can imagine that it's weird for me to see.”

“Yeah … I can definitely see that.”

“So if I find out that you've done something you shouldn't to him, I'll kill you.”

The statement could have been laughed at given the situation. If Mikleo could easily be overpowered by Sorey, then Edna would be even worse. There was no way that a threat from such a petite girl could be taken seriously.

Or at least, there would not have been if Edna had spoken in a much more joking way, or did not seem to care this much. Even if her words did not have literal meaning, there was still something there. It was the emotions of a sister who cared much more deeply than she let on.

Which is why Sorey was easily able to say, “You care for him a lot, don't you?”

A hint of blush crept to her cheeks. “I – I don't. I just don't want others doing anything bad to him. That's my job.”

Sorey chuckled lightly. “Of course it is.” His voice grew more serious, a faint smile growing on his face. “I'll keep him safe. I swear it.”

Edna stared at him for a moment, seeming to contemplate his words, before she nodded slowly. “You better keep to that.”

Before Sorey had a chance to respond to her words, the bathroom door opened as Mikleo stepped through it. He was donned in a pair of pale jeans and a blue knitted jumper, the sleeves reaching just past his wrists.

“You look adorable,” Sorey blurted out before he could stop himself. Mikleo looked stunned, clearing his throat as he turned his head away to start shuffling through his shoes.

“Uh, thanks,” he mumbled, seeming to have a little difficulty tying his shoelaces after he had slid them on. He straightened himself up and grabbed a hooded coat out of his wardrobe, before turning back to Sorey. “Shall we go, then?”

“Sure! See you later, Edna.”

She waved her hand in dismissal. “Don't go having bloody sessions in alleyways.”

Mikleo rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore her as he walked out of the room. Sorey waved to her and closed the door after himself, catching up to Mikleo who had stopped his steps in order to wait.

“I think she's starting to like you,” he said as they began to walk, Sorey staring at him in disbelief.

“You call that _liking_ someone?”

“In Edna's world.”

Sorey laughed. “I guess I'll take your word for it, then.”

The two made their way out of the dormitories, Mikleo shivering as soon as the cold November air hit them. His eyes glanced to Sorey, who seemed completely unfazed.

“How on Earth can you be like that?”

“Like what?” Sorey said, glancing down at his usual hooded-top. “Oh, the cold thing? Yeah, it's normal for us to not feel it. It's not just me.”

“Lucky.”

“I can hold you, if you want me to.”

It was said as a joke, yet Mikleo still managed to stammer out, “S-Sure. If you want.”

Sorey stared at him for a moment, having expected him to decline straight away, but he was soon smiling. “All right,” he said, putting his arm around Mikleo's shoulders and bringing him a little closer. It felt natural to have him there. “Better?”

“Can't tell. I'm a bit distracted by how fast my heart is beating.”

Sorey chuckled, yet it was mostly forced – he found himself swallowing from those words, unable to properly respond to them. It seemed as though feelings between them were clearly mutual without either expressing this aloud. Yet despite this awkwardness, Sorey kept his arm around Mikleo, and it seemed as though his shoulders began to relax as time passed. Before long, he was even moving a little closer.

“Where are we going?” he asked eventually, breaking a silence which had been lasting for minutes.

“I know of a nice place nearby. You have a sweet tooth, right?”

“Definitely.”

“Then you're going to love it!”

Before long, Sorey's arm was removed from Mikleo's shoulders once they were outside of a building. Inside was a brightly coloured room, yet not overly so. It felt very welcoming to be in.

“Waffle place,” Sorey said, grinning at Mikleo. “Thought you might approve, especially as you're probably pretty hungry by now.”

He nodded. “I am. Uh, shall we get a table, then?”

“Sure, there's some two people ones over there.”

The two sat down onto chairs, reaching for the menu in front of them. Sorey watched fondly as Mikleo's eyes lit up from the variety of choices they offered, including pancakes and other available food.

“I'm surprised you've not been here yet,” said Sorey, tearing his gaze from Mikleo in order to scan through a menu himself.

“I am too, really. I usually love places like this. I think our course has just gotten me too busy to think about properly exploring what's here in Ladylake.”

“Then maybe we should do more of that together?”

Mikleo nodded slowly, eyes flickering up from the menu before diverting back to it again. “Yeah, we should.”

Minutes later, they had made their orders – both chocolate and marshmallows – and were now sipping drinks as they waited for food to arrive. Mikleo could not help but still find it fascinating that what Sorey was currently drinking was not actually needed for his body. Even now, he still found it hard to picture that whenever Sorey ate or drank something which was not blood, it was not actually something he was having in order to give himself nutrition.

“So,” Mikleo said eventually. “When you said you wanted to talk about 'stuff' … what were you exactly talking about?”

A brief silence overcame them, Sorey twiddling the straw that was in his drink. It took one glance at his face to see he was concentrating on what words he wanted to say.

“I … Mikleo, I'm sorry about last night.”

“What with? Do you mean …”

Mikleo gestured to his neck, Sorey shaking his head.

“Well, part of me is guilty for that. I meant not properly explaining myself, and how I ended up snapping at you.” Sorey looked down at the table, inhaling deeply before he returned his gaze to Mikleo. “I, well … Mikleo, what do you see us both as? Like what do you see … between us?”

“I, um …” He hesitated. The word 'friends' did not seem like it was a strong enough word to use for them. “I'm not sure,” he said truthfully.

“Me neither. That's why, uh … I probably ended up seeming confused and everything last night. Because …” Sorey ran a tongue over his lips. Then a flash of determination to blurt everything out seemed to overcome him. “Mikleo, even though I thought that nothing like this would happen when I first met you, I've well and truly fallen for you and I can't deny that anymore. I want to be with you.”

Mikleo could only stare for several moments as he tried to process Sorey's words. “I-I … I have feelings for you too, but …”

“It's difficult?”

“Yeah.”

“It is, that's for sure. I can't deny that. But even though it probably seems like I'm crazy for thinking this, I don't want to walk away without at least _trying_ to make something happen. I've never felt like this about a person before, and I really did think it was just from what I sensed when I first met you. And maybe it is, but what I was sensing was that I would feel something _more_ from you.”

“But how does this work?” Mikleo asked quietly, looking down at hands resting on the table. “How do we –”

“Here are your orders!”

“O-Oh, thanks!” Sorey exclaimed, seeing that Mikleo was too startled to react and so saw to making room for the plates on their table. He waited until the waitress had left before he reached over the table to place his hand over Mikleo's. This caused his eyes to finally look back up and meet Sorey's.

“I can't give an answer to that for sure,” said Sorey. “But we could try to make it work. I just feel like both of us would be disappointed if we just gave up on how we feel.”

“I … I think so, too. So do you …?”

“Yeah, I do. But … well, I'm still worried, if I'm honest.” His thumb rubbed over the back of Mikleo's hand. “I'm fine now. But I'm not like humans, Mikleo. How vampires are can be spontaneous, unexpected – I can seem like I'm ordinary one second and the next … Well, it can get pretty intense. It can just be a simple thought or whatever and we –”

“You do realise that even some humans can be a bit like that, don't you?” Mikleo questioned, letting out a chuckle. “It's fine. I've already said that I trust you. Besides, maybe I like the extraordinary. Who knows?”

“I just don't want you to regret this.”

“I don't think I'm going to. God, who was meant to be reassuring who, here?”

“A-Ah you're right, sorry!” Sorey burst into laughter. “Honestly. Sorry about that.”

Mikleo smiled warmly at him. “It's completely fine. You worrying like that shows that you really do care. And besides,” Mikleo's eyes flickered down to the hand on top of his, lips pursing, “I think I'm excited for what's to come. Regardless of what you mean.”

“Are you sure?”

“Definitely.”

Feeling relieved, Sorey smiled back, Mikleo's eyes looking back up as though sensing this. “That's good to know.”

Food still untouched, Sorey leaned over the table in order to brush his lips against Mikleo's gently. Whilst the night before had been wonderful, their shared kisses passionate, the difference in their kiss now was equally as wonderful. It was something soft, giving them a small amount of hope that perhaps regardless of what the future would bring, the happiness that they had right now was worth any struggle.

 

* * *

 

 

The feelings between each other had not changed through expressing them. Yet doing this definitely made how they felt much more welcome, allowing them to feel less stressed and conflicted about themselves. In Mikleo's case, he was now completely certain that Sorey was no longer using him, and Edna, despite how wary she was, also seemed to start thinking in a similar way. In Sorey's case, he was more sure of himself when it came to being able to control himself, yet still had his worries in regards to if he and Mikleo did end up going further.

It had been two weeks since the two had became official rather than dance around each other, and the responses had been overwhelmingly positive which Mikleo, after pushing through high school and college with homophobia not being uncommon, found incredible. He and Sorey were hardly even that open, yet even just the fact that they held hands and sometimes briefly kissed was enough for fellow classmates to root for them. No one, however, could beat how vocal Rose's support had been.

Yet those who bore witness to their relationship seemed to be utterly innocent. Neither could hardly blame them – after all, the two barely showed anything of their relationship out in public and would not dream of doing more than sweetly kiss. Or at least, in the eyes of others. Out of their eyesight was a different story.

They had not gone the full way with each other yet. It seemed mostly down to the worry that seemed to linger in Sorey, as well as something else that Mikleo could not quite put his finger on. However, that did not mean that there was no passion between them. In fact, after Sorey explained that vampire bites were designed to heal quickly in order for the giver of blood to be able to donate it more regularly as opposed to merely here and there, Mikleo had began to crave this bite further. This often resulted in the two growing intimate in more places than just the clearing where Mikleo had discovered Sorey's identity, and also Mikleo's room when Edna was away.

It was much more common for this to occur at night. Mikleo could truly see where creature of the night came from. Even though Sorey would still be himself, he was much more likely to grow intense, to crave biting from Mikleo more so than during the day. In fact, that had yet to happen. The night was what brought out those cravings in Sorey.

It had been on a Saturday night, where other fellow students were circling around the pubs, that the two kept to themselves. At first, the two had grabbed some drinks themselves, yet both grew annoyed at the noise before long, and neither were that tempted by alcohol. And so, after finishing off the single drink they _did_ have, the two were exiting the pub.

“There we go,” Sorey said, stretching his arms before taking hold of Mikleo's hand. “I thought it was bothering you in there.”

“It's fine at first. Just gets a bit much.”

“I understand, that. Plus, we can't exactly do much in there, not with my eyes.”

Whilst Sorey had much better control during the day, at night, simply kissing Mikleo a little deeply could result in the crimson of his eyes to form to a degree. Even if Sorey himself did not feel this intensity emotionally, the nature of his body's reactions was a different story. Whether Sorey would feed or not, there was no stopping that nature.

Mikleo chuckled. “True. I don't think anyone could take that as well as I did.”

“I'd say. You took it much better than I thought you would. I still cringe over that whole scenario even now.”

“What a dork of a vampire.”

“You like me for that anyway, don't you?”

“Absolutely.” Mikleo paused for a moment, his thoughts shifting back to that night. “It was probably the whole mutual attraction think we had which helped. If there hadn't been that small part of me who wanted you too already, I might have run away or something.”

He turned his head to look at Sorey when there was a lack of response. “Sorey?”

“Ah, sorry, I just … Sometimes remembering how you had been like that from the start makes me start feeling … You know. I'm sorry, I'm forcing it back.”

“You don't have to. I never mind.”

Sorey glanced at Mikleo's neck with a small amount of guilt. “I've bitten you enough recently. What if it makes you ill?”

“It's already been four days. I've healed.”

“Still.”

“I appreciate you looking out for me, I really do. But I would tell you if I couldn't handle anything.”

A glance at Mikleo's face was enough to tell that he was saying the truth. Running over this thought in his mind, moments later, Sorey took hold of Mikleo's wrist and pulled him into an alleyway by their side, shielded well by the darkness. This wrist was pinned against a brick wall behind Mikleo alongside the other. Back also pressing against it, Mikleo tilted his head up in order to welcome Sorey's lips on his.

The kiss was immediately passionate with no moment spared for softness. Sorey's hands tightened their grip slightly as his tongue explored Mikleo's mouth, leg shifting forward and prising Mikleo's own legs a little apart in the process. Though he was not able to move much due to his pinned wrists, he at least tried to push his hips forward to make contact with Sorey – the response he returned was a growl muffled by Mikleo's mouth, Sorey's own body pressing forward in response in order for their crotches to brush against each other.

Their lips soon left each other as both breathed heavily. Violet eyes met crimson and flickered down to the fangs which had formed. They closed as Sorey leaned in, Mikleo's head lifting in order to give him access. His body shuddered as he felt Sorey's breath on his neck, heard the snarl as the fangs were borne, and he prepared himself for them to sink into his skin.

Yet they didn't. Sorey's head rose, his hands loosening on Mikleo's wrists, the redness of his eyes not quite disappearing, yet it had most certainly already faded slightly.

“I can't,” he whispered. “I'm worried about pushing you too much.”

“Sorey, I really am fine.”

“That's what you thought the first time, but you almost ended up fainting.”

Mikleo could not argue against this. Even if he had grown more used to Sorey's feeding rather quickly and so had not had as intense of a reaction since, he knew that it still meant that the two had to be careful. There was no reason to be annoyed or frustrated; after all, it simply meant that Sorey taking care of him, which his gratitude for would never stop.

Regardless, he chuckled. “All right, no biting. But you can't pin me against a wall and grind against me to just not do _anything,_ you know.”

“Hey, don't tempt me like that. You know that when I do things to you I want to bite you as well. That's how it works.” Yet Sorey paused for a moment, still not releasing his grip on Mikleo's wrists. A grin tugged at his lips. “But I guess if you _really_ want us to do something …”

Mikleo blinked at him with confusion as his wrists were released. With a glance at the main street far to their left, Sorey proceeded to take hold of one of Mikleo's shoulders and guide him further down the alleyway. Before he could speak, Mikleo was then pushed down onto his knees, Sorey leaning on the wall behind them with his hands unfastening the button of his jeans.

“I should be fine with _this.”_

Mikleo only hesitated for mere moments before he was shuffling closer to Sorey, holding onto Sorey's thighs as he rose himself up. These hands shifted to pull down Sorey's trousers and underwear, returning to their spot on his thighs before Mikleo ran his tongue up his length, earning a moan.

“You better not tease,” said Sorey, a hand burying itself into Mikleo's hair. Mikleo gave Sorey grin, tongue lapping over the head before he took Sorey into his mouth, knowing that he would have been pushed down before long if he hadn't. The groan that escaped Sorey was satisfying enough.

“Go faster than that, Mikleo,” said Sorey, eyes closing for a moment as Mikleo obliged, his hand tightening its grip. “That's it, like that.”

Mikleo's body shifted closer in order to find more easiness in building up his rhythm. The coldness of the concrete his legs and knees were resting on was beginning to be felt easily through his jeans, yet he forced his mind away from this, instead focusing on the movements of his mouth. It only faltered when his ears could just barely pick up the sound of voices in the far distance.

“Hey,” Sorey said quietly, Mikleo flinching slightly at Sorey's hand gripping tighter, his scalp beginning to sting. “Ignore it. If anyone sees you, then they'd just have to be disappointed that I claimed you first.”

He obliged, returning back to his previous speed and blocking out the voices he had heard. Sure enough, they seemed to have gone moments later, yet Sorey's message had still gone through Mikleo's mind loud and clear. In fact, the words had done more than simply send a message; the combination of pleasuring Sorey and hearing his possessiveness were more than enough to arouse him.

One hand remained on Sorey's thigh as his other hand reached towards his trousers, yet almost instantly his head was pulled up by his hair, causing him to look at Sorey's eyes immediately.

“What are you doing?” he asked quietly. “Does being on your knees for me really turn you on this much?”

Mikleo swallowed, eyes averting to the side for a moment, yet he found himself unable to keep them away for long. “I … I-I just –”

“None of that. I can control myself better inside, so keep yourself held on until we're back there and _I_ can attend to you. Understand?”

Unable to nod from Sorey holding his head in place, Mikleo instead had to say, “Perfectly.”

Sorey grinned at Mikleo for a moment, before he was pushing Mikleo's head back down to himself. With saliva built up from moments ago, he found it easier to fall into his previous rhythm, a gag caught in his throat as he made his way further down, Sorey letting out a moan in response.

“That's it, keep going like that.”

Mikleo's eyes squeezed shut as he obliged, forcing his hands to remain where they were. To his relief, it did not turn out to have to be this way for much longer; after several more minutes, Sorey was soon panting, the hand in Mikleo's hair loosening for brief moments.

“M-Mikleo, I'm gonna …”

He had already been prepared for Sorey's semen to be ejaculated into his mouth, Sorey letting out a groan as he was relieved. Before Mikleo had the chance to decide for himself, Sorey was tilting Mikleo's head up by his chin, giving the simple order of, “Swallow.”

Mikleo did so immediately, gasping once he was able to open his mouth. Despite his previous tone, Sorey was soon crouching down and placing a kiss on top of Mikleo's head.

“I didn't pull your hair too hard, did I?”

Mikleo shook his head. “I … well, uh …”

“Liked it?”

“Perhaps.”

Sorey grinned. “I guessed as much from how much you enjoy my bites.” The word made Sorey's lips purse for a moment, yet it was not enough for his eyes to grow brighter again. “Edna is staying over at her brother's home still, right?”

“Yes, she is.”

“Then let's continue this at your dormitory.”

Mikleo nodded, allowing Sorey to help him up off the ground. Their hands remained intertwined as they ventured their way back onto the main street, yet now with a much different atmosphere in the air between them than previously. Sorey even let go of Mikleo's hand eventually in order to put an arm around his shoulder instead – Mikleo assumed it was so that he was closer. The times Sorey grew intense were always combined with this kind of protectiveness. It was clear as day that Sorey wanted others to know that Mikleo was his.

Ten minutes later, the two were entering the dormitory block. They smiled at those they passed, Sorey now a familiar face among them, and made their way to Mikleo and Edna's room. He took a key out of his pocket to unlock the door, allowing Sorey to step inside before himself. As soon as he followed, Sorey was wrapping his arms around Mikleo's waist to pull him into a kiss.

“Sorry,” he said as they briefly broke apart. “Couldn't help myself.”

“It's fine, idiot. Just kiss me.”

Sorey did so, Mikleo's arms wrapping around Sorey's neck in order to bring him closer. The hands around his waist slid down in order to instead grasp at his backside, causing his own grip to grow tighter, and it was not long before Sorey was pulling him back so that they sat down on the bed with Mikleo in Sorey's lap.

“Sorey,” Mikleo said as their kiss broke apart, sighing as Sorey kissed his neck with no sign of fangs. “Can … can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“How come we haven't … gone all the way yet?”

There was a brief silence. “It's only been a few weeks, so I –”

“Sorey, you fingered me and sucked my blood before we even started dating. I don't think time is the problem here.”

Sorey chuckled, removing one hand from Mikleo in order to scratch at the back of his head. “You've got a point. No, you're right, it's not time. I'm sorry for lying.”

“Then what is it? It can't be because of being tempted to feed off me, because you've already done that.”

“W-Well, it's …” Sorey let out a sigh. “I don't want you to be freaked out by me.”

“Why would I be?”

“Some vampires get … well, really controlling during sex. And I mean _really._ I, well … I happen to be one of those types.”

“Haven't I already seen you like that? I already know what your nature is like.”

“You kind of have. But … but not to the true extent.” His tongue ran over his lips. “It's not as bad here, considering this is not my territory, it's yours. But … but that doesn't stop me from wanting …”

“From wanting what?”

“From wanting you to be helpless against me.”

Another silence fell as Mikleo processed these words, They caused his heart rate to beat faster, yet he not completely sure what from. After all, he was certain he was not scared or worried. Nervous perhaps, but these nerves seemed to mingle in with a strange sense of excitement.

It was this which caused him to say, “Well, I feel like I've been helpless against you from the start anyway. You won't take it too far as long as you control your feeding, right? Then we'll just see what happens.”

Sorey's eyes bore clear worry. “Are you sure?”

“ _Yes._ I wouldn't say it if I wasn't.”

“No need to say it like that, I'm just being careful,” Sorey pouted, his voice a little more light-hearted. Then it grew more serious. “Just remember that you can always tell me to stop. I don't care how caught up I am – if I see things have gone too far, I'll force myself back.”

“I know you would. It's fine.”

Sorey nodded in understanding. Now more certain, his hands reached under Mikleo's arms in order to lift him from Sorey's lap and onto his back on the bed. He only had a chance to stare up at Sorey for a moment before lips were once again meeting his.

Mikleo's jacket was discarded to one side, the hands which removed them now creeping up his shirt. The touch was warm despite how they had only just been in the cold and how Mikleo's own hands showed this. This warmth caused his body to relax, finding himself melting into the kiss, his hands cupping Sorey's cheeks to bring him closer.

Sorey backed away from Mikleo's lips before long, smiling as Mikleo gasped from his fingers running over his chest, gliding slowly over his nipples. Sorey's lips were then pressing against his neck, once again not using his fangs – Mikleo wondered how much it took Sorey to hold himself back when he had been craving blood for so much of the night. He felt a strange sense of gratitude from the thoughtfulness.

One of Sorey's hands was now making its way down lower, running over the skin above the waistband of Mikleo's jeans, palm pressing against his crotch. He let out a moan, hips bucking forward in order to make closer contact with Sorey's hands. This moan was reduced to a sigh as Sorey kissed along his collarbone.

“Mikleo?” Sorey then said, his head rising to make eye contact.

“Yes?”

“Can I …” Sorey paused, the gleam in his eye glowing brighter for a short moment. “Can I tie your hands together?”

Mikleo's eyes widened. “Is … is that what you meant before?”

“About how controlling vampires can be? Yeah, that's … that's part of it.”

There was a moment of hesitation before Mikleo nodded. “All right.”

“Are you sure? The thought doesn't scare you or anything?”

“Why would it? I'm nervous, sure, but … well, I trust you. You know that.”

Sorey smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Mikleo chuckled, eyes averting to the side for a moment out of awkwardness. “Um, so … what are you going to use?”

“You have scarves, don't you?” Sorey asked, Mikleo nodding in return. “Then we can use that. We're pretty limited here.”

 _'Compared to where?'_ Mikleo thought to himself, swallowing as he watched Sorey walk over to Mikleo and Edna's wardrobe. He continued to ponder this until Sorey began to walk back towards the bed. His hands were holding onto a turquoise scarf, stretching out the material. There was no doubt in Mikleo's mind that he could sense a shift in the atmosphere.

“Are you _definitely_ sure about this?” Sorey asked as he slid back onto the bed. “You know you don't have to feel pressured into anything.”

“I am, really. But thank you for making sure.”

Sorey smiled, yet it seemed to grow darker in seconds. “Then put your hands above your head.”

They were simple words, yet the tone they were spoke in changed how simple they were dramatically. It was commanding and low, the previous light-heartedness of Sorey's voice gone. Mikleo had no idea how one could change so quickly.

And of course, there was no going against this voice, even if he would not want to do so anyway. Feeling a mixture of nerves and excitement rise, heart beating faster in his ribcage, he obliged and put his hands above his head. Almost instantly, Sorey was moving them closer together, gripping tightly as he wrapped the scarf around them.

Once it had been looped around a few times, the knot was secured, Mikleo feeling Sorey's fingers slip underneath. He assumed it was to check the tightness, and was confirmed to be correct.

“That's not too tight, is it?”

“No, it's fine.”

“Good.” Sorey's fingers ran over the binding, leaning down to place a kiss on the skin besides it. “I've been hoping for this from the moment I laid eyes on you,” he said as he rose up so he was hovering over Mikleo, his eyes now a pure red. “To have you helpless against me.”

Mikleo swallowed, unsure of what he could possibly say in response, yet it seemed as though words were not what Sorey was after regardless. His hands returned to Mikleo's body, one hand running up his shirt as the other reached back to his trousers, massaging through his jeans. Mikleo gasped, involuntarily pulling against his bonds, the motion utterly useless.

“Sh-shit, Sorey …” Mikleo gasped out as Sorey's hands grew rougher, Mikleo's body squirming underneath the touch. “My jeans, they're … they're in the way, can't you –”

“No,” Sorey interrupted. The hand resting against Mikleo's torso trailed up to one of his nipples, his index and middle finger trapping it in between them, earning a whimper as they squeezed and twisted. “You need to learn that when you let me control you like this, that's it. Unless it gets too much for you, unless I want you to beg, you don't ask for anything. Understand?”

“ _But one day, we're going to have a few more rules, okay?”_

Looking back, Mikleo could now see what Sorey meant by those words. He had not been sure before, but now everything was clear. Sorey's rules were all part of the control he desired.

And Mikleo found himself having the same desire, despite how he could feel the frustration in his body from Sorey's tease, and the emotional frustration driven by how he could do nothing against it. Yet both appealed to him. He had no idea why, for not once in the past had he thought of himself as a person wanting to submit to this degree. But he also found himself not caring to question it.

“All right,” Mikleo said quietly in response, shivering as Sorey's fingers slowly glided to his other nipple now the other had become stiff. “I understand.”

He jolted and let out a gasp once this nipple was twisted like the other. “Good,” said Sorey, his voice also quiet, though in a much more threatening way. “I wouldn't want to have to punish you.” He lifted up Mikleo's shirt properly in order for his mouth to make contact with Mikleo's skin. His fingers were replaced by his tongue, arising delicate moans as it ran over each nipple equally. “Or do so _yet,_ at least.”

He continued to tease Mikleo through his jeans, mouth making its course across Mikleo's chest and collarbone, before he at last was unfastening Mikleo's jeans with his hand. They were pulled down Mikleo's thighs, hands running along the skin as they landed on his underwear. Mikleo's breathing hitched as they grasped onto them. Yet with a small smirk, Sorey took a different approach and instead released the material, his hands running across Mikleo's hips and underneath him.

“This is the first time I have you tied up, so I'm not exactly going to waste it, am I?” he questioned, hands grasping at Mikleo's backside. His fingers trailed teasingly down the crevice in between the cheeks, Mikleo's teeth biting down on his lip in response, yet it was not enough to stifle the whimper released in response to Sorey's fingers reaching down to the entrance covered by the thin layer of underwear. He could feel himself becoming harder all the while. It felt as though the fact that his hands were restrained were making each sensation even more intense.

He was certain that Sorey could sense this. Sorey pressed down harder, asking, “Do you want me to take these off, Mikleo?”

Mikleo quickly nodded. “Please, Sorey.”

“Come on, I'm sure you can do better than that.” Sorey's other hand returned to the front of Mikleo's underwear, massaging the bulge roughly, a moan catching itself in Mikleo's throat. “Can't you?”

“P-Please Sorey, I need …” Mikleo interrupted himself with another moan, forced to close his eyes and catch his breath at least slightly before he continued. “I need them off, please –”

“That's good enough, I suppose,” said Sorey as his fingers grasped at the waistband of Mikleo's underwear. “I'm getting a bit impatient myself, after all.”

At last, the material was pulled down Mikleo's legs, who let out a sigh from his erection being free. He inhaled sharply as Sorey's hand ran up it, not tearing his eyes away from Mikleo.

“You have everything, right?” he asked, his voice still commanding, yet the question one which was to make sure Mikleo would be safe. He nodded, using his head to gesture in the direction of the nightstand instead of his hand. Sorey reached over to its drawer to pull out a bottle of lube.

“I'm not going to go easy on you with this,” he said as he squirted it onto his index and middle finger. “All right?”

Mikleo nodded, unable to tear his eyes away from Sorey as he settled himself back in between Mikleo's legs. He prised them apart a little more as he shuffled closer. One hand rested itself on Mikleo's thigh, the hand with its fingers coated in lube making its way towards Mikleo's entrance.

He was prepared for them to tease longer than they did, circling and just barely pressing inside, yet apparently Sorey truly was impatient himself – rather than force Mikleo to beg again, he asked, “Ready?”, to which Mikleo once again nodded. The first finger was pushed inside as an immediate response.

Even though Mikleo was already familiar with this pleasure, he found himself more addicted than usual – the helplessness of his hands kept in place only made him want Sorey to dominate him more, to respond to how Mikleo was pushing himself closer to Sorey as a natural reaction. And of course, Sorey did so – his other hand fought against Mikleo's hips to keep them still, fulfilling the desires of Mikleo's body himself by picking up his pace.

“A-Ah, Sorey –” Mikleo gasped out, trying to find the ability to speak in between his short intakes of breath. “Please, u-use another –”

“Already?”

“I n-need … I need more, Sorey –”

“If that's what you want.” Almost instantly, Sorey's middle finger joined the first, Mikleo moaning loudly in response. His head fell on its side against the pillow as his eyes closed, panting and unable to hold in short, quiet moans as Sorey picked up his pace. It was much faster than Sorey had used before, yet if there was pain, clearly pleasure was taking over; every single thrust was only making Mikleo wish for more.

Sorey was also soon to wish for this. Whilst still maintaining the pace of his hand, he asked, “Are you sure about us going further than this?”

Mikleo nodded. “A-Absolutely. Please.”

He smiled, leaning down to press his lips against Mikleo's. “I'm glad you're so eager,” he said quietly. “You have no idea how beautiful it is to have you be so willing.”

The pace of his hand slowed down to a stop. The fingers were pulled out and wiped onto a towel folded on the end of the bed, before he was once again reaching for the nightstand. Inside was a box of condoms which had previously been prepared.

Pulling one of the small packets out of it, he returned the box inside the drawer. With one hand focused on unfastening the button of his jeans, his other hand placed the corner of the packet in between his teeth to tear it, Mikleo transfixed by the motion. Keeping it in his mouth, Sorey used both hands to pull down his jeans and underwear, erection now on display. The condom was taken out of his mouth in order to be stretched over it.

“As much as I want to feel you with nothing in the way,” he said, “I also need to be careful with you.” He leaned down to kiss Mikleo's lips, and despite how commanding his voice had been and the roughness of his touches, he still gently asked, “Ready?”

“I am.”

Sorey nodded, reaching his hands to Mikleo's hips in order to steadily bring himself closer to him. One hand was released in order to instead grasp his dick, guiding it towards Mikleo's entrance. His eyes met Mikleo's for once last confirmation. Reading them allowed him to see Mikleo's silent yes, and he felt confident in pushing himself inside.

Mikleo let out a cry, hands clenching into fists as his eyes squeezed shut. Unlike with Sorey's fingers, there was no mistaking a small amount of pain – but he had expected it, and he forced his body to relax, to notice the pleasure that was simultaneously coursing through him. Understanding this without being told, Sorey kept his pace steady at first, allowing Mikleo to slowly grow used to it.

“A-Ah …” Mikleo sighed once he became accustomed to the speed, finding his predictions to be correct when he felt the pain subside, now replaced with a desire for more force than this. “Please go faster, Sorey …”

There was no mistaking a small growl despite how Sorey had tried to conceal it. Now he was inside Mikleo properly, it was clear that the intensity he felt had grown – his nails dug into the skin of Mikleo's hips as he obliged to the increase in speed, relishing in the loud moan which followed, Mikleo's body writhing underneath him.

“Oh G-God, Sorey,” he moaned, his head tilting back against the pillow. “R-Right there, please –”

“Good to know you've not lost your manners,” said Sorey, leaning down to press his lips against Mikleo's, his tongue immediately forcing itself inside. All the while his thrusts did not reduce their speed, and one hand had now released itself from Mikleo's hip to instead grasp at the base of his erection.

Mikleo almost pulled away from the kiss when the hand began to glide upwards and down again, needing to let his moan be heard, yet Sorey's kiss was too rough to escape from. He had no choice but to oblige to it, his mind steadily being driven wild from the pleasure assaulting him, and he was beginning to wonder how much longer he would last. He would have already came during their last sessions.

Sorey's lips eventually prised away from Mikleo's, leaving him gasping for air and barely able to do so as Sorey's tongue ran itself over Mikleo's neck.

“I … I really …”

“Please, S-Sorey,” Mikleo panted. “If you need – _ah_ , if you need to, then …”

His eyes closed again, unable to find the strength to continue speaking, yet the reassurance was enough for the desperation that Sorey was in. His mouth opened, the tips of his fangs only touching the skin for a moment before they plunged into it. Usually, Mikleo's reaction was not loud, yet with the thrusts inside him and the pumping of his erection, hands bound all the while, he could not hold in a cry. The endorphins he was quickly becoming familiar with caused the bite to tingle pleasantly, the sucking of his blood causing more pleasure to run through his body.

He did not now how this could happen, how this drinking could cause every cell to seem to alight. Yet this is what happened each time. And with each thrust and movement on his erection, he could feel himself reaching his limit. Too overwhelmed to find the words to voice this, he reached this climax without warning, semen ejaculating onto his bare torso. With panted breaths he was forced to lean back against the pillow, exhausted.

Sorey's head rose from Mikleo's neck after his tongue lapped up a stream of blood, letting out a chuckle. “That was sudden. You didn't even ask if you could do that.”

Mikleo's eyes opened for a moment. “W-Was I … I supposed to?”

“I'd prefer it next time. But this time, it's fine.” Now Mikleo had finished, Sorey could focus on himself doing so, too – the back of his hand wiped away the blood staining his mouth before both hands gripped Mikleo's hips. He continued his thrusts, relishing in the moans that Mikleo still released. It was no wonder that this alone could assist with Sorey being driven to the edge himself. Moments later, his hands held on tighter as he came himself with a groan, head lowering as he tried to catch his breath.

His grip became gentler and his thrusts began to slow down. Eventually, he pulled out, hurrying to remove the condom from himself and toss it into the trash can in order to give his attention to Mikleo, who was still laid with his eyes closed, breathing deeply. After pulling his trousers back up, Sorey leaned down to Mikleo to place a kiss on the side of Mikleo's head.

“You okay, love?” he asked gently, placing another kiss on Mikleo's head.

“Yeah, I just need a moment.”

“Take your time, okay? I'll untie your wrists now.” True to his word, Sorey reached for the scarf to undo the knot, discarding it to one side. “Do they hurt? You might want to move them to get the blood flowing properly again.”

Mikleo nodded, bringing his wrists in front of him to do just that. Now he had better control of his breathing, he was able to sit up slowly, smiling as he locked eyes with Sorey. The crimson irises and pure white fangs had already vanished.

“Even when you were like that, you truly were looking out for me,” he said. “Thank you.”

“O-Oh, of course! You know that I care for you, Mikleo, even during that.” He looked at Mikleo's neck guiltily, immediately preparing a bandage. “Argh, I really was going to avoid feeding from you again, though …”

“You barely took anything, it's all right. I don't feel dizzy at all.”

“You don't?”

“No. A little light-headed, sure, but that's probably from the … yeah.” A blush returned to Mikleo's cheeks. “I would have never thought that … well, having my hands tied would make such a difference.”

“You _did_ enjoy it, right?”

“Absolutely. I would have told you if it made you uncomfortable.”

Sorey sighed in relief, now sticking the bandage over the small wound. “I'm glad.”

“For a vampire, you do worry a lot.”

“Honestly, I don't usually worry this much. But you're definitely different.”

Mikleo smiled, resting the palm of his hand against Sorey's cheek. “I'm glad that I am.”

He leaned in to press his lips against Sorey's gently, an utterly chaste kiss compared to the roughness he had experienced not long before. After, Sorey wiped away the semen staining Mikleo's chest with tissues, before the two were lying down on the bed, Sorey hugging Mikleo from behind.

“Mikleo?” he asked quietly after he pressed his lips down on the back of Mikleo's neck.

“Yeah?”

“You're still not … regretting any of this, are you?”

“No. Not for one second.”

Sorey smiled, the action of bringing Mikleo closer to him and nuzzling into his hair speaking louder than any words could. That even if Sorey did have a darker side to him, part of which Mikleo had seen tonight, nothing could stop this care that he had for Mikleo. The fact that even if neither were brave enough to say the word aloud, Sorey truly did hold a love for him unlike any either had ever experienced before. It was a beautiful thing. But there was no denying that it was also terrifying for them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, it's been a long time since I wrote a chapter so long. Any feedback (or screaming) would be appreciated because of that! And I'll do my best to start the final chapter much sooner. Thanks for reading and for your patience!


	5. Wish for Eternity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After his months of knowing Sorey, Mikleo finally sees a further extent of his nature, as well as realises how much the two are in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, we're here with the final chapter! I won't keep you up here for that long because I'm sure you just want to read it, so I'll save my words until the end. Enjoy!

Time continued to pass much faster than one would expect, causing December to arrive. This arrival meant that Sorey and Mikleo had now been together for a month. It was unbelievable that after the amount of conflict the two had dealt with inside, and how both had been overwhelmed by the feelings neither had expected, this much time had passed already. Of course, it was not a negative thing; it was merely a surprise to them both that everything had gone smoothly, with little doubt caused by their choice.

They felt strangely like a regular couple most of the time. Even if the foundations of this relationship had been caused by something dark and much more intense than a regular crush, it still did not stop their everyday lives being normal. Dates, study sessions, talking with Alisha, Rose and Edna – what was even stranger was that the latter seemed a little more accepting than before. Her snide remarks and odd snap had of course continued. Yet the first was to tease, the second out of concern which had not quite disappeared completely. It was normal for it to have not to.

Sorey and Mikleo alike had been attempting to push aside the negative side of their relationship. Even during the times where Sorey fed from Mikleo, they would not allow themselves to think about the differences of their species, the ways in which that separated them. After all, what was the point in this worry now, when the two had only been together for a small amount of time?

For now, they wanted to simply enjoy themselves. They wanted to feel the joy of a relationship like anyone else would. And so, a silent agreement had been made to not yet speak about it just yet.

However, this did not mean that they would not talk about Sorey himself at all; it was natural for Mikleo to be curious, especially with how he had no knowledge of Sorey's kind before they met. This curiosity was always bound to bring questioning. One day, these questions had arrived whilst the two were sat on a park in a bench, frost beginning to form from the dropping winter temperatures.

“You know, you've talked a lot about how vampires don't tend to feel the cold,” Mikleo said, glancing at Sorey who – unlike Mikleo himself dressed in a thick coat, scarf and gloves – was wearing rather light clothing as usual. “Why exactly _is_ that? Is there a specific reason?”

Sorey hummed, leaning back on the bench. His arm was looped around Mikleo's shoulders. “I actually don't know for sure. I never got the chance to ask my parents, and it's not like we have a school or something where we learn this stuff. I think it's because of how much blood we consume – maybe it warms our bodies? And we're probably adapted against it because of how our ancestors hunted at night.”

“Ah, I see. That does make sense. I was wondering because you've always made it out as though it's not just you who can deal with the cold this well.” Mikleo paused, another question running through his mind. “But you … never got the chance? Does that …” His words drifted off as he swallowed. He realised that he was potentially trekking into some very personal territory.

Yet Sorey gave him a smile; perhaps a little forced, but it was still reassuring. “Don't worry about it,” he said. “We're a couple, aren't we? So personal stuff is normal.” He paused for a moment, eyebrows furrowing. “But I don't have much to say about them. I was abandoned as a baby, took in by my grandpa – not by blood, but he might as well be.”

“Is he a vampire, too?”

“Luckily. Otherwise I probably would have died, what with not getting blood.”

“That can't have been a coincidence, then. I mean, the numbers of vampires compared to humans is very slim, isn't it?”

Sorey nodded. “That's for sure. So yeah, I think they knew what they were doing. Unless they were murdered, they're probably still alive. I just have no idea where they are or what they're doing. They probably abandoned me because vampire children can be difficult to raise. If a local priest finds out … Well, let's just say that the baby might end up missing forever.”

Mikleo stared at him in shock. “It's … It's that bad?”

“Not always. But sometimes. I guess my parents were worried that I'd be part of that 'sometimes', so they put me with someone who they thought could keep me safe. Gramps _has_ always been sensible, after all.”

Mikleo was unable to say any words for a period of time. He himself had been through his own trauma with family, knew the awful emotions it could bring. Yet he still could not fathom what living in such a separate world was like. Where your kind was shunned, even murdered if the wrong person find out. Mikleo found himself surprised that vampires would even want to live alongside humans at all.

“I'm sorry,” he said quietly. “I … I had no idea it's been like this for you.”

Sorey's voice grew a little brighter, seeming guilty over causing sadness in Mikleo. “Ah, it's all right! I can't remember all of this stuff myself, it's just what Gramps told me. Honestly, it doesn't even upset me that much because, well … it's harder to miss something you never had, I guess. I do want to meet them. But I'm fine with things being this way, too.”

“I suppose I can see why. I still just feel sorry it has happened.”

“Don't worry about it, really. I think that what you've been through with your family is tough in itself.” There was a brief silence before Sorey forced out a chuckle, his arm bringing Mikleo a little closer, hand stroking his arm. “The mood's gotten way too gloomy thanks to me! Ask me something else.”

“Are you sure you're okay with the topic changing so suddenly?”

“Absolutely!”

Mikleo nodded, feeling a little reassured by the positive tone. “All right, if you say so. Um … might sound weird, but do you have a blood type? And can you get blood diseases and such? If you're aware of that, that is.”

“Nope to both of those! Gramps told me about this. Our blood really is different from the blood of humans – it's why we don't find particular enjoyment in drinking vampire blood, because it all tastes the same and lacks something that you humans have.” Sorey gave Mikleo a knowing grin. “I didn't want to clarify this at first in case it freaked you out. But you're type A, aren't you?”

Staring at him, Mikleo simply uttered, “Whoa.”

“And not only that, but you're also negative.”

“How do you know that?”

“Well, A antigens and B antigens taste different than each other, as do anti-A or anti-B antibodies. As for the negative part, that's because red blood blood cells sometimes have a protein called the RhD antigen, which is what makes people positive. That makes blood taste a little stronger to us. But your blood is a lot sweeter.”

“… You can judge the taste of blood this much? That's incredible.”

“Yup! Also, in theory, people will blood type A are pretty sensible, responsible and cautious. So I kind of figured you were that type before I even tasted your blood. Yet … well, it still ended up tasting a little more unique than I imagined. I guess how cute you are must have done something.”

Mikleo rolled his eyes, unable to stop an amused smile reaching his face. “You were sounding pretty intelligent there, but then you had to go and ruin it.”

“Ah, I wouldn't call that intelligence, it's just stuff I've been told. I think pretty much every vampire knows about it, considering we tend to have favourite blood types and everything.”

“And what is yours?”

“Do you really have to ask?”

“It's mine, isn't it?”

“Yup! Romantic, I know.”

“In its own way, I suppose.”

The two stood up before long, having realised they had been sat down on the bench for a while. Mikleo took Sorey's hand once they were standing. Then, the two began to walk through the park again, a silent agreement to go get lunch now they had realised it was the afternoon.

Sorey watched as Mikleo's eyes glanced upwards; they were taking in the sight of Christmas lights which had been hung in the area. They were not lit at this time of day, yet they still looked pretty whilst clear simply from their shape.

“You like Christmas, then?” Sorey asked.

Mikleo hummed. “Edna, Eizen and I celebrate it together, usually. It's going to be weird not doing so this year.”

“You're not going back home with Edna for Christmas?” Sorey questioned. “I mean, you're her brother, too.”

“Yeah, that's true. I just … I don't know, I kind of don't want to leave here. Or … more specifically, leave you.”

Sorey's walking slowed to a stop, causing Mikleo to turn around and look at him curiously. “Sorey?”

“That's not because you feel obliged to or anything, is it? Because I don't want to take you away from your family.”

“What …? No, no of course not.”

Sorey sighed in relief. “I'm sorry, I thought you might have felt pressured to.”

“Not at all. I just feel drawn to you, that's all. Like I don't want to leave.”

This rose a little concern in Sorey. An addiction to the bite might have been something which appealed to him, yet not to the extent of where it would grow controlling in Mikleo's everyday life like this.

“Please go home with her, okay?” he said gently. “I don't want you to dedicate everything to me.”

“I will, if it means this much to you.”

“Thank you, Mikleo.” Sorey began to walk again, bringing him level with Mikleo. His smile returned. “I don't want you to sacrifice anyone for me, you see.”

“I do see that. But I won't, I promise.”

Yet one of the negative thoughts Mikleo had been successful in suppressing since the two became a couple was found to be crawling its way inside Mikleo's mind. That if he was to truly be with Sorey for as long as time would allow, to not let anything to tear them apart, then he _would_ have to sacrifice others – or at least, his normal life with them. The thought of them staying together was wonderful. Yet Mikleo knew it could not last forever without this sacrifice.

“You okay, Mikleo?” Sorey asked moments later, snatching Mikleo away from his thoughts.

“O-Oh yeah, I got caught up thinking about them. Want to go to that waffle place for lunch?”

“Absolutely!”

Mikleo smiled, forcing his thoughts away to focus on the moment. After all, putting this focus on a future which he could not predict nor control would leave him in nothing but misery. He'd had enough of this emotion in his life to allow it to consume him now.

 

* * *

 

 

Several mornings later, light was already shining through the window of Mikleo's dormitory when he woke up in Sorey's arms. With how it was now winter, this was a sign that he had woken up a little later. He rubbed at his eyes as he snuggled closer into Sorey's chest, smiling when Sorey's arms brought him closer. He was awake after all.

“Good morning, Mikleo,” he greeted, running his fingers through Mikleo's hair. “Sleep well?”

“Yeah, I did. What about you?”

“Definitely. I seem to sleep normally when I'm here with you.” Sorey's eyes glanced over at Edna's bed as he let out a small chuckle. “Poor Edna, she keeps leaving us to this. I feel bad over practically kicking her out of here continuously.”

“Nah, you're not. She doesn't mind leaving, I can tell. She's more thoughtful than she lets on.” Mikleo's fingers stroked lightly against Sorey's chest absent-mindedly. “I think she's really starting to accept you.”

“You think so?”

Mikleo nodded. “Most definitely.”

Sorey smiled, planting a kiss on top of Mikleo's head. “I'm really happy to hear that. She means a lot to you after all, and she's beginning to mean a lot to me, too. So it feels nice to be accepted by your family.”

The words touch Mikleo immensely. It is another reminder how much Sorey cared for Mikleo, how much he wanted to be a part of Mikleo's life. Not with just the moments which are lustful, but everything. Even if Mikleo had grown to realise by now that this was the case with Sorey, this did not mean that it touched his heart each time.

Their lips were soon to meet in a kiss. It was tender, starting as soft as the sunlight streaming through the blinds on the window, before growing a little deeper. Eyes fluttered shut, they shifted a little closer together, Mikleo's hands resting on Sorey's chest with the arms wrapped around him growing tighter. It was a moment where troubles truly did not play on their minds. That all their thoughts would focus on the feel of each other's lips,

They parted slowly, as though wanting to appreciate each moment of the kiss. Mikleo smiled warmly, his hand cupping Sorey's cheek. The words he wanted to say were on the tip of his tongue, as they were with Sorey, yet neither yet had the courage to say them aloud.

Instead, Mikleo said, “You know, if you let me visit _your_ home, then we wouldn't have to keep kicking Edna out.”

It was something he was doing his best to push without overstepping any boundaries or making Sorey uncomfortable. His carefulness in doing this seemed to be getting somewhere; in the past when he brought this up, Sorey's body would stiffen immediately. He would say about how he is too worried about something happening and then leave it at that. But now, his body remained the same, and Mikleo even felt very little tension from him.

“You really do want to visit, don't you? Even though you know how territorial we are.”

“Of course I do. It's your home, Sorey, as well as Alisha and Rose's. It's normal for me to want to see what it's like.” Mikleo paused, a tongue running over his lips. His eyes had to avert to the side for a moment. “Besides, after what we've done so far, do you really think that I'm going to mind if we _do_ end up doing something?”

Mikleo had made a very valid point. Whilst the two had not yet escalated to something much more intense, within each of their sessions together, there was an obvious amount of control each time. Protectiveness or possessiveness, perhaps a mixture of both – no matter what exactly it was, it made Sorey want to take Mikleo to places no one else could. Of course, he had already said it was in his nature, similar to how other vampires could be. Yet it was also clear that there was something about Mikleo himself which made Sorey be this way.

Sorey wanted Mikleo for himself, and himself only. And considering Mikleo too wanted no one else, it worked harmoniously.

“That's true, and I'm beginning to see that.” Sorey grinned playfully, twisting strands of Mikleo's hair in his fingers. “Someone's not as innocent as they look.”

“Like you're one to talk.”

They both laughed. Mikleo feels relieved as for a little while longer, his head rested back on Sorey's shoulder. Both were grateful that there was less tension around this topic now. The two had grown to trust each other well, seeming as though the more that they spent time together, the more they grew closer without even realising.

Then a sigh was released by Sorey, but over a completely different matter. “I feel as though the weekend is going to pass far too quickly,” he says, shifting his body a little so he was rested on his back, one arm still around Mikleo. “I've never felt more human in my life.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“I'm _sleeping!_ Like a normal human! I keep getting at least eight hours every night, it's weird.”

With a roll of his eyes, Mikleo propped himself up on his elbow. “You say that like it's a bad thing.”

“I'm just not used to it. Maybe being around you is making me basically human myself.”

Mikleo chuckled despite how there was in fact truth in Sorey's words. After all, even if vampires did not differ from humans much in some aspects, there are others in which this difference is clear. Sorey seemed to be somewhere in the middle by now.

As for Mikleo, whilst he naturally could not pick up the acts of a vampire, he felt himself being a part of their world. It felt as though the two were beginning to truly be a part of each other's lives, which of course was a wonderful thing. A space within their hearts that they had no idea even existed was being filled by someone they loved, and it was this love which made it feel as though there was no boundary between them. Like they really were just two ordinary boys falling deeper for each other.

It was beautiful yet nerve-wrecking at the same time.

 

* * *

 

 

A week later brought more nerves, yet it was in a rather different way.

It seemed as though Mikleo's subtle hints and more forward statements had finally truly convinced Sorey and diminish his worries. It was now a Friday, and there was no mistaking how Sorey's eyes kept shifting to him. They often did this anyway. Sorey would grin when they made eye contact, saying something along the lines of how with Mikleo's beauty, he can't keep his eyes off him for long.

But this gaze held the intensity he could remember experiencing when they had first met. This feeling had been experienced numerous times since they had been together, of course; it was usually followed by the two making out outside of the university at the very least. Yet something felt different about it today. The reason why seemed fairly clear to Mikleo, and it turned out that he was in fact correct.

Following their class, after Alisha waved to them and headed off to find Rose and Edna, Sorey was tugging on Mikleo's wrist in order to pull him into an empty corridor where the classrooms were not being used. No questioning had time to arrive before Sorey's lips were pressed against his own.

The kiss was surprisingly brief, yet was enough for Sorey's tongue to taste his mouth. He parted with a bite of Mikleo's bottom lip, and with his hands resting on the wall behind Mikleo, his lips trailed to Mikleo's neck instead. Mikleo's teeth bit down onto his lip in order to stop any sound escaping.

“Mikleo,” said Sorey, his mouth rising up Mikleo's neck and closer to his ear. “Want to come around tonight?”

Had their circumstances been normal, the words would not have sent such a chill down Mikleo's spine. Yet they were far from ordinary. Mikleo nodded, a hand on Sorey's head bringing it closer to his neck, having to suppress a small moan once the lips kissed down deeper.

“Of course I do.”

Sorey's head backs away enough so their eyes could meet. His own were tinted with familiar red, the true vibrancy seeming to be held back. Rather than release his hands from the wall in order to back away properly, Sorey remained where he was. His mouth returned to Mikleo's neck, pushing back the collar of his shirt in order to creep lower down to his collarbone.

One hand was released from the wall in order to glide down Mikleo's side, making its way along the shape of his waistline before it crept along his hip and towards his behind. It squeezed the cheeks as his teeth just barely grazed against Mikleo's skin. Worried about being heard, Mikleo held back as much noise as possible, only letting himself inhale sharply.

Sorey's mouth was soon released from Mikleo's skin in order to regain eye contact. His hand trailed around to Mikleo's front, whose body jolted slightly as it pressed against his crotch, as Sorey said, “I can't wait to hear your begs for me.”

Mikleo had no idea how to respond in any other way than to stare back into Sorey's eyes. A reply did not seem to be needed regardless; Sorey was soon backing away from him, controlling the colour of his eyes. An arm looped itself around Mikleo's shoulders and guided him back into the main corridors. Sorey's demeanour seemed to have shifted back to normal, smiling brightly when he saw those he knew passing by, yet what Mikleo could sense, and him alone, was something much different than what was on the surface to others.

They were soon walking outside. Mikleo could not help but feel appreciation when he felt Sorey bring him a little closer as he shivered from the cold. Even if Sorey was currently being overcome by lust, he still reacted to Mikleo almost immediately, wanting to protect him in even the smallest of ways.

The walk to Sorey's home was not very long. Sorey had been right about saying it was located closely to the university. The house appeared normal enough on the outside, and even once they were in the hallway, it still seemed perfectly ordinary – though of course, what else would Mikleo expect?

What he had also expected was to feel different upon entering. This happened the instant Sorey had closed the front door, locking it after themselves. It was not so much being trapped that Mikleo could feel. It was more of a case of simply knowing that this is the place Sorey called his own, that as a human, being here meant something. Figuring out what exactly this meant did not take long. Especially not with Sorey's hand now taking hold of Mikleo's in order to guide him up the stairs.

Sorey did this so quickly that Mikleo only had a brief chance to glance into the living room in order to see if anyone was sat there. From this momentary scan of the room, it appeared that it was empty. He allowed Sorey to bring him to a door located in the corridor upstairs. It was opened, Mikleo entering first and watching as Sorey shut it after them both.

His attention was immediately directed to Mikleo. Strong arms lifted him up by his legs to push him into the wall to their side.

“Sor –”

He did not have the chance to finish saying Sorey's name before their lips had met. A tongue was instantly forced inside Mikleo's mouth, the lips rough and unable to be escaped from. He could do no more than wrap his legs around Sorey's hips, bringing him closer as he clung onto his neck. Sorey's own hands were now squeezing at Mikleo's backside, the fingers not caring to caress through his jeans gently, all the while not breaking free from Mikleo's mouth.

Sorey's hands were soon bringing their bodies a little more together in order for him to grind against Mikleo's crotch. Mikleo almost broke free from the kiss in order for his moan to not be so trapped, yet with Sorey's hands squeezing tighter and a warning growl muffled by their kiss, Mikleo dared to not try and break it again. He allowed his lips to stay pressed against Sorey's, arms around his neck growing tighter the more friction was caused between them.

Sorey moved on from the kiss eventually. Its intensity left Mikleo flushed and gasping for air, Sorey giving him a moment to breathe as his teeth took hold of the zip on Mikleo's jacket and tugged it down. This gave him access to Mikleo's neck, one hand releasing his backside in order to instead trail up underneath his top, lifting it as he did so in order to leave it folded at the top of Mikleo's chest.

“A-Ah, Sorey –”

Sorey’s tongue was now gliding over Mikleo’s nipple, circling around it and barely grazing it with his teeth. That was until his teeth bit down – it was without fangs, yet Mikeo’s body still jolted as he let out a cry. The small shock of pain subsided to a tingling pleasure, and a trail of kisses across Mikleo’s chest took him to the other. The reactions were repeated. Only they were now louder due to Mikleo becoming more heated quickly, and he found himself biting down on his lip to quieten himself.

“Sorey, is there … is there anyone here?” he asked, just barely managing to find the capability to say words.

“Why?” was Sorey’s answer. Even before Mikleo had received a response, he continue to lap his tongue over Mikleo’s chest. It was as though he could not find it in himself to hold himself back from Mikleo’s body.

“I don’t think I can keep quiet, and I –”

He was cut off by his own moan as Sorey brought him closer to him. It caused their crotches to grind against each other, and he was easily able to feel that Sorey was growing hard.

“And what about it?”

“They’d … they’d hear me.”

“No one is here. And even if they _were_ , that’s fine. I want people to know you’re mine.” Sorey continued to grind Mikleo against him, who was left panting as he began to rest his head against Sorey’s shoulder. It was his body’s natural reactions to bring his hips forward in order to close any space between him and Sorey.

He soon found that a hand on his shoulder was bringing his head back up. He was momentarily confused, unsure of why Sorey had done this, yet he was soon to find why. With one of Sorey’s still on Mikleo’s backside, the one which had brought Mikleo up by his shoulder was now placed over his mouth, silencing his heavy breaths.

“But there, if it’s really worrying you so much.” His eyes seemed to glow brighter as they glanced up at Mikleo, clearly relishing in the sight of this. Mikleo’s own eyes, widened in surprise, stared back him. “Nothing wrong with this anyway. You really do look cute helpless.”

A muffled moan escaped into Sorey’s hand as lips were back at his collarbone, sucking down onto it. Sorey seemed to have no interest in biting him yet, or was at least holding himself back from doing so; he seemed to merely be playing for now, his lips drawn back to Mikleo’s torso, his hand now sliding down under Mikleo’s trousers and underwear to glide over his backside.

Mikleo’s body quivered, forcing his arms to remain in place as an unspoken rule between them, as Sorey’s fingers trailed down the crevice between his ass cheeks and stopping at his entrance. They seemed to have no intention of entering yet. Sorey just wanted to tease, to show this sense of control before it grew more intense. And when the hand on Mikleo’s mouth was finally released and he was taken away from the wall at last, he knew that it would happen now.

Sorey’s lips found Mikleo’s again as he was carried. He had expected to be thrown down onto the bed, surprised when this was not the case; instead, Sorey had placed him down onto the floor. His jacket and T-shirt were discarded, leaving him shivering for a moment, yet he was aware that he would likely not feel the small amount of cold much longer.

“We need you restrained now, don’t we?” Sorey asked, his thumb trailing over Mikleo’s lips. Mikleo was aware that this was his way of seeking consent, that Mikleo truly was prepared for what was in store. He nodded.

“Yes,” was his simple reply, nerves keeping him from saying much more. A kiss much briefer than previously was placed on his lips. Sorey was then walking away from Mikleo, who turned to face him out of curiosity. He found that Sorey was stood in front of a chest of drawers. He pulled out one of them, turning and making eye contact with Mikleo as a pair of leather cuffs dangled from two fingers, connected by a chain in between them.

“Give me your hands,” Sorey ordered as he walked back over to him. He obeyed instantly, his hands held out in front of him. A cuff was placed onto one wrist and then the other, locking them both into place. Moments later, a chain was attached to the one which connected them. Mikleo was confused until moments later, his arms were pulled about his head. Sorey wanted his arms suspended. And when the chain was attached to one of the beams hanging below the ceiling, he could see how Sorey was able to achieve this easily.

It was a different situation to what Mikleo had been in previously. But as he tugged at the cuffs to test their durability, he could instantly feel the appeal.

“There we go,” said Sorey. Clearly, he was in agreement. “How does that feel?”

“I … I like it.”

“That’s good to know.” For some time, Sorey did not proceed to touch Mikleo or do almost anything at all. He merely stepped around him, eyes scanning the bound wrists, the bare torso – yet the true anticipation and nerves formed from when Sorey’s eyes fall on his. Even when they were not up close to each other, Mikleo could still easily see the hunger and lust which was burning in Sorey’s eyes.

“You know how I’ve mentioned you having more rules?”

“Yes?”

“You’re about to learn what I mean.” Sorey wanders away from Mikleo again. With his arms fixed in place, he could no longer twist himself around in order to watch Sorey’s movements. He chose to not turn his head in order to look over his shoulder. From the mention of rules, Mikleo felt as though this was when he should start being obedient, even when not given instructions. It felt natural in this situation for this to be what he should do.

He could hear Sorey moving closer moment later. His eyes landed on Sorey when he was stood in front of him, widening as they look down at a strip of black cloth stretched in between his hands. Mikleo swallowed, and when it was held in front of his eyes, he inhaled sharply. Sorey backed away for a moment when he noticed the increase of tension in Mikleo’s body.

“Is … is it going over my eyes?” he asked. Whilst he had been gagged by Sorey before, blindfolding was something new, and he was not completely sure on how to feel.

“It was going to. But if it’s too much –”

“I think it’s fine, it’s just …”

“Having no sight will escalate everything you feel. I just wanted to use it to make this more fun for both of us – it isn’t an obligation.”

After a moment of hesitation, Mikleo nodded. “All right, we can try it.”

“If you get too uncomfortable, tell me and it’ll come off right away.”

“I will.”

Sorey smiled. It was the last moment that Mikleo would see this smile for now before the cloth was stretched over his eyes. Once his world was cloaked in darkness, his breath hitched, yet Sorey’s lips pressing against his own helped to calm him. The cloth was tied at the back of his head once their kiss was broken.

“This all right?” Sorey asked, trailing his fingers down Mikleo’s face. He nodded, for despite his vision now being taken from him, he could already tell that this was going to put his focus into Sorey’s touch. “Then there’s one last thing.”

He then felt something a little cold press against his neck. As it was buckled, he realised that it must be a collar, used more for appearance than anything else. Due to it not controlling his senses like the blindfold, he was a lot less tense about this, and he was sure that Sorey noticed this. He was a lot less hesitant in placing this on Mikleo.

“You look beautiful, Mikleo,” Sorey murmured. Despite the quietness of his voice, there was something in it which sent chills down Mikleo’s spine. Sorey’s mouth reached for the skin above Mikleo’s collar, a small sting forming on the skin when a fang pierced it lightly. It was not deep, yet Mikleo thought that it was enough to draw a tiny bit of blood. This was confirmed when he could feel Sorey sucking down onto the small wound. “Truly beautiful.”

His hands trailed down Mikleo’s sides. Already, the sensation of Sorey’s touch seemed to be escalated – he no longer had doubts in his mind about having his eyes be useless. He shivered as Sorey’s hands lingered at his hips, clearly attempted to arise the feeling of anticipation in him. This was successful; it is already taking all of Mikleo’s willpower to tell Sorey what to do. He bit his tongue, however, and his patience is rewarded by Sorey pulling down his trousers at long last. They were discarded to one side along with his underwear.

Standing like this made him feel vulnerable. Naked, bound, his eyes unable to see anything around him. Yet it was a vulnerability which escalated his excitement. His trust in Sorey allowed it to not make him frightened or worried. Anxious and nervous, possibly. But they were different emotions caused by the wonder of how this was going to feel.

“Now then, Mikleo,” Sorey said, his hand reaching towards Mikleo’s member, which had already begun to harden some time ago. He trailed a finger up it lightly. It felt as though it was a warning. “There’s something new today. When you’re as helpless as this, everything which happens to you is in my hands. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes.”

“And this time, that includes your release.” Fingers were wrapped around Mikleo’s member, causing him to quiver and bite his lip. “You’re only allowed to come when I say, all right? I’ll only give you what you want if we stand by this.”

The thought causes Mikleo to gulp. He had already experienced Sorey’s teasing, and he was only beginning to get used to holding himself back – he knew instantly that it would be a challenge. Yet he still nodded nonetheless. A challenge wasn’t going to stop him.

“I understand.”

“Good. And you know what to say if it gets too much, right?”

“I do.”

The words were a reassurance to Sorey. Lips were pressed against Mikleo’s again, a hand continuing to stroke his erection. The touch started off light, though it was quick to grow rougher, a moan muffled by Sorey’s tongue in his mouth. Sorey’s other hand was reaching for Mikleo’s behind, squeezing with equal roughness, and this touch alone would have easily been able to arouse Mikleo all in itself. The position he was in was bringing his usual arousals higher already.

The lips pressed against Mikleo’s eventually parted from him. Sorey’s hands followed, but only momentarily; moments later, they were grasping Mikleo’s thighs. Mikleo could hear and feel that Sorey was crouched behind him. His mouth was pressing against Mikleo’s hips, first on the side; his teeth sank inside Mikleo’s skin, who let out a gasp in return. The endorphins were immediate, leaving the bite marks tingling pleasurably. A small wound similar to this one was left on the other side.

Sorey’s mouth was now sucking at the skin of Mikleo’s lower back, before his head lowered. Mikleo was confused, yet was also unable to turn around to look at Sorey, so instead had to ask shakily, “W-What are you doing?”

“Nothing that won’t feel good, I promise.”

Mikleo was unsure of what was happening up until he could feel Sorey spread his ass cheeks apart. Then it hit him instantly. Moments later, he let out an unexpected moan as a tongue circled at his entrance.

“Sh-Shit, Sorey –”

He would have never expected something like this to give him so much pleasure. The sensitivity of his entrance alone caused shocks of pleasure to shoot through him, yet it truly heightened once Sorey’s tongue entered him. He cried out, involuntarily tugging at his bonds. His legs were beginning to tremble from the sensation.

Sorey’s hands pulled Mikleo closer to him by his hips at first, one hand remaining there whilst the other trailed around him to his front. He took hold of his erection once again. Mikleo whimpered once the length of it was pumped, remembering what Sorey had said previously about his release. He highly doubted that he would be given permission just from this.

Regardless, when Sorey’s tongue continued to explore him and his hand only seemed to be getting faster, Mikleo could not hold in his pleading. “So-Sorey, if you carry … carry on like this, I-I –”

A swift slap to one ass cheek silenced him instantly. It was not strong enough to cause pain to linger, yet the initial shock was enough to speak Sorey’s mind. There was no way that Mikleo would be given permission yet. He had to endure this, and what was was to come. Mikleo swallowed and accepted this.

Sorey’s tongue exited Mikleo before long, yet the hand on Mikleo’s erection had still not left it. Sorey had risen back to his feet. His spare hand reached for Mikleo’s face, his index and middle finger slipping inside his mouth. He knew immediately to lap his tongue over them to coat them in saliva.

“Someone’s eager,” said Sorey, his chuckle sending a chill down Mikleo’s spine. “What a perfect little pet you are.”

The fingers were removed from Mikleo’s mouth and brought down to his rear. They stroked against his hole, Mikleo’s body quivering as he tried to not force his hips back. Sorey continued to tease, not quite forcing either of his fingers in, before his index slides in suddenly.

“Sorey …” Mikleo moaned once it was inside. Despite how it wasn’t quite as smooth as usual, the pleasure still overcame him, and he found his eyes squeezing tightly behind his blindfold. He panted as Sorey began to pick up his speed, relishing in the noises that Mikleo released before a second finger joined the first.

Alongside his fingering, Sorey’s other hand reached back to Mikleo’s erection. He did not pump it like he did before, yet still touched it enough for a reaction. His hand proceeded to fondle Mikleo’s testicles, leaving his legs trembling with more intensity as he could feel himself being brought closer towards the edge.

“So-Sorey, I’m not going to …” He is interrupted by a gasp caused after Sorey’s hand suddenly released him. It instead slapped one ass cheek like before.

“You _are._ You’re not disobeying me.”

As the hand slapped him one more time, Mikleo found himself unable to hold back a small moan. Sorey’s movements seemed to falter for just a moment, though it was barely noticeable. The thrusting of his fingers resumed their regular speed as he brought his head closer to Mikleo’s.

“Was that a moan, Mikleo?” Another slap caused Mikleo’s teeth to bite at his lip. “Was it?”

“Y-Yes,” he whispered, knowing there was no use in lying, and he did not want to do so anyway.

He could sense Sorey’s smirk. Fangs scraped lightly over his neck as Sorey said, “Looks like my bites have turned you into quite the masochist.”

Mikleo cannot deny those words. He gasps as Sorey’s hand slaps one last time, his fangs pressing down a little harder out of warning.

“Regardless of whether or not you like it, that’s my warning to you about what I said. I’m not going to let you come until after I’ve been inside you properly. Understand?”

“Yes,” said Mikleo quietly, inhaling deeply as Sorey’s fingers began to pick up their pace, as though to test him. “I … I understand.”

“Good. You’re learning well already.”

Sorey’s fingers continued for what seemed like eternity. His other hand did not always pay attention to Mike's erection; instead, he allowed it to trail across Mikleo’s body, fingers squeezing at the nipples already abused from earlier. It was a drawn out torture, one which made Mikleo’s mind confused about whether he wanted it to stop and for Sorey to move on, or if he wanted this pleasure to continue. The only thing he was certain about was that Sorey would stop on his terms and his terms only.

He did so eventually. His fingers were pulled out of Mikleo, and as though waiting to see if Mikleo would respond to this, Sorey’s hands trailed along his waistline and hips, caressing the skin. Mikleo spoke before long, seeing this as an invitation.

“Sorey, please …”

“Please what?”

“Please carry on, I need –”

“Carry on with the teasing?”

Mikleo had quickly grown frustrated, yet he forced himself to hold this back in his voice. “I need you inside me Sorey, please _.”_

“I suppose I can’t resist waiting, not when I can still take advantage of having you like this for me.” Mikleo was confused when he could feel and hear Sorey move away from him despite this words, yet he was soon to find out the reason why. With his lack of vision, he only realised Sorey had gotten hold of a ball gag until it had been forced into his mouth. He moaned weakly into it as it was fastened at the back of his head. “But we’ll have nothing else from you for now. Not until I’m ready for you to beg.”

He had never been in a situation as helpless as this one. Bound, gagged and blindfolded, the only true thing he had control over was the movement of his legs. But even this was difficult by now; his body screaming for it to reach its climax and the pleasure he had been assaulted with seemed to affect his energy. He had barely enough by now to keep himself standing, never mind move his legs properly. He was well and truly under all of Sorey’s control.

Moments later, he could feel Sorey’s body press against him from behind, the bulge in his trousers grinding between Mikleo’s ass cheeks. His hands glided down Mikleo’s waist and to his hips. Mikleo could only be glad that they did not continue to move and touch his erection which almost seemed painful. Instead, when they were removed from Mikleo’s hips, he assumed Sorey was unfastening his trousers.

This was confirmed when after Sorey had applied lubrication to himself, his erection slid down Mikleo’s crack and to his entrance. The movement was slow and teasing, Mikleo shuddering as Sorey pressed forward.

“You’re ready for this?”

Mikleo nodded in response. With the lack of both sight and speech, he found that Sorey’s voice seemed a lot more obvious and clear, allowing him to focus more on the tone which sent chills down his spine.

“I’m not sure if you are.”

With the touch of a teasing tone evident, Mikleo guessed what Sorey was asking for. Behind the gag, Mikleo attempted to voice his answer, the word ‘yes’ coming out as an incoherent, muffled sound which could barely be heard. The feebleness of it caused embarrassment to wash over him. Yet it was clear that it was what Sorey was after, for with a kiss at the back of Mikleo’s neck and above his collar, Sorey said, “Good boy.”

No other words were spoken before Sorey slid inside. Mikleo’s body jolted as much as it was able to; not from pain, but simply from the shock of pleasure. He had already felt enough previously, and with his head hanging low as he tried to focus on holding himself back, Sorey’s thrusts began to build up their rhythm.

It managed to be both Heaven and Hell simultaneously. He never realised that depriving one of their senses could manage to affect their sense of touch this much, or even that being restrained could heighten the arousal, yet now it was happening, he could not picture anything else but enjoyment. But there was the threatening of an orgasm drawing closer, and no matter how much he tried to take his mind away from the limits he was pushing, he could not do so. Not when his position left him in no other choice.

“You feel so good, Mikleo,” Sorey groaned, his fingernails digging into Mikleo’s hips in order to steady his thrusts. And Mikleo could relate to these words in a different sense; that the boy who months ago would decline a simple date out of cautiousness had found himself here, feeling an ecstasy he had never experienced in his life. One which he would have never expected to enjoyed.

One of Sorey’s hand was soon creeping to the front of Mikleo, taking a light hold on his erection. Mikleo’s body squirmed slightly. He wasn’t sure if it was to escape from Sorey’s hand or bring himself closer to it; either way, the action was useless.

“How much do you want to come, Mikleo?” Sorey murmured into Mikleo’s ear. Not slowing the speed of his thrusts, his hand slowly began to start its own rhythm. Mikleo’s body trembled as it fought against its own natural reaction to this. “Tell me.”

“ _Mmph …”_ was all Mikleo could say against the gag between his lips. It took enough effort to simply say this, slightly louder before yet barely still at a volume which could be heard. Sorey let out a small chuckle.

“I can hardly understand you when you’re that quiet, Mikleo.”

Frustration began to grow further, yet thankfully, this teasing did not last for much longer. Or at least, not with his speech; his hand was still pumping Mikleo’s erection slowly, seeming to pick up the speed slightly here and there.

It was soon to be removed, however, Mikleo wondering why; it turned out to only be temporarily when with the hand on Mikleo’s hip also being released for him, the strap of the gag was being undone. He inhaled deeply as soon as it was removed, stretching out the muscle in his jaw. A trail of saliva had trickled down from the corners of his mouth, but he had no chance to feel embarrassment over this. Not when Sorey’s hands were returning to where they once were.

“Now you can tell me properly what you need, can’t you?” Sorey asked. Mikleo could only pant for a moment, trying to find it in himself to speak.

“P-Please … Please Sorey, I-I …”

“You what?”

“I n-need … I need to come, ple-”

“Really? So soon?” Sorey’s hand picked up its pace, Mikleo only finding the energy to moan weakly, despite how much he thought he would be louder. “But it feels like it’s only been a little while since I started paying with you.”

It was the opposite for Mikleo. He had been enjoying this, of course, yet the dragging out of his orgasm, the fact that Sorey was continuing to tease – it made him feel as though he had been tortured for an eternity.

“P-Please …” Mikleo said, quiet and breathless. He was using the last of his strength to clench his cuffed hands into fists, the stinging of his nails digging into his palms one of the only things keeping his focus. “I beg of you S-Sorey, please …”

He would have said more, yet his head could only lower as he continued to pant. Even though he knew he could stop this if he so needed, Sorey still seemed to hold concern about accidentally pushing Mikleo too hard. He would never feel pressured to continue when he felt like he could no longer truly manage. There was, after all, a difference between being this overwhelmed whilst still enjoying himself, and being overwhelmed to the extent where he could not handle anything more. But this must have been a worry to Sorey.

“When I say, all right?” he said, placing a kiss down onto Mikleo’s shoulder. He nodded, frustrated that this did not mean _now,_ yet it must have at least meant soon. He let out a gasp over Sorey’s fangs digging into the skin of the shoulder he had kissed, a little more deeply than when his mouth had been by Mikleo’s hips.

His hand had begun to pump faster in correlation to this. Mikleo could do no more than whimper, biting down on his bottom lip with enough force that he could have sworn it must be bleeding, as he begged inside his mind for Sorey to give his word. That please, _please_ let him finally have release, give in to what his body was yearning for –

This is when Sorey finally said the words, “All right, I give you permission. Come for me.”

The words were a trigger which immediately brought Mikleo’s climax. Barely moments later after these words had been spoken into his ear, he came with a cry he just about had the energy to let out. He was left breathing heavily, his previous fists now loosened and left hanging.

He knew that Sorey was not yet done, not when he had not come himself yet. But he must have seen the struggles in which Mikleo had in order to stay upright on shaking legs. Sorey pulled out of Mikleo, an arm wrapping around his torso as his other hand reached to remove the chain from his cuffs. As soon as his arms were no longer suspended, he stumbled into Sorey’s hold. An arm reached under his legs in order to scoop him into Sorey’s arms.

“You’re fine holding out until I’m done?” he asked. Despite how Mikleo’s sight was still obscured, he could still feel Sorey’s eyes on him as he waited for an answer.

“Yeah … Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just no more teasing. Please.”

Sorey chuckled. It seemed as though the edge in his voice had eased a little, and Mikleo wondered if the same had happened to his eyes, now that he had brought Mikleo to his limit. “No more teasing.”

Mikleo was placed down onto the bed, the wrists still in cuffs settled above him. With a brief kiss being planted on his lips, Sorey’s hands returned to Mikleo’s hips as he resumed his previous thrusts. Mikleo released a quiet moan, finding that the thrusts were no longer as intense now his body had been given what he wanted.

“Not much more,” said Sorey. His voice was becoming breathless as well, and Mikleo wondered if he too had been holding himself back in order to extend the length of their session. “I just wanted to be inside you while I finish myself.”

Mikleo felt Sorey lean down and press his lips against Mikleo’s. One hand had been released from his hip in order to cup his face, his fingers stroking lightly against the skin. It was incredible how much Sorey could switch intensity like this. Yet perhaps when seeing Mikleo’s exhaustion, it stopped Sorey from going further, wanting to make sure he did not go a step too far.

Minutes later, his mouth parted from Mikleo’s in order to say, “I … I can’t hold it much longer, I’m …”

Mikleo was prepared for the load to be ejaculated inside of him with a groan let out by Sorey. His thrusts slowed down to a stop, pulling out of Mikleo with a kiss to the side of his head. He then felt Sorey’s hands reach to the back of it.

“You doing all right there?” Sorey asked as vision was returned to Mikleo. He had to blink a few times in order to adjust, but once he had done so, he was able to properly see Sorey hovering over him. Concern flickered in his eyes.

“Yeah,” Mikleo replied, letting out a deep breath. “I think I’m good. But can you free my hands?”

“Of course, sorry.” Sorey brought them over Mikleo’s head in front of his torso in order to unfasten them. Blood properly flowed back through Mikleo’s hands once they were removed; it was not painful, but rather a relief, Mikleo letting out a small sigh as he stretched the wrists. Sorey was smiling. “That better?”

“Definitely.”

The smile grew. After he removed the collar from Mikleo’s neck and discarded it to one side, Sorey proceeded to reach for a packet of wipes in order to wipe away the semen which was trickling down Mikleo’s thighs, throwing it in a trash can nearby. His hands were then removing the hooded-top he was still wearing, guiding Mikleo into a seating position in order to put it on him. The sleeves were long on him, covering the back of his hands, and Sorey could not quite hold back his loving eyes over this.

“You sure that was fine?” Sorey said, his fingers playing with strands of Mikleo’s hair. “I mean, it was more intense than it is usually.”

Mikleo hummed. “Yeah, it was a bit overwhelming, but I enjoyed it. Though I wouldn’t have ever … uh, expected to enjoy anything like that.”

Sorey laughed, scratching the back of his head. “Yeah … it’s not really the norm, is it?”

“No. But ah well, I’ve never liked the ordinary.”

“I’m glad to hear it, as I’m definitely not that.” Sorey’s thumb rubbed over Mikleo’s lips. “Ah, they’re pretty dry. I’ll go get you some water.”

“I’d appreciate that, thank you.”

Sorey gave him one last smile and peck on his lips before he left in order to fetch the glass of water. However, upon returning, he found that Mikleo was back to laying on the bed. As he drew closer, there was no mistaking that with his closed eyes and soft, slow breathing, he had already fallen asleep during the time that Sorey had gone.

After he placed the glass of water down on the nightstand by the bed, Sorey carefully moved Mikleo so that he was under the duvet. It was pulled up under his chin in order to keep him warm, before a lingering kiss was placed down on his cheek.

“I love you,” Sorey said quietly, because even if he could not say the words whilst Mikleo was awake, that did not mean they weren’t true.

 

* * *

 

 

Mikleo immediately noticed two things when he woke up. The first was a dry mouth with a large need for water. The second was how there was a figure behind him, his arms wrapped around Mikleo’s stomach. Mikleo smiled as he heard Sorey snore gently in his sleep. It was still fairly dark, Mikleo suspecting that it was not long before the sun rose; this was confirmed when he glanced at the electronic clock on the bedside table and saw it was a little after six o’clock.

‘ _I must have been asleep for a while,’_ he thought to himself as he recalled the session from the night before. He was not surprised to have a blush rise to his cheeks, yet was also feeling relief. After all, Sorey knew now that Mikleo was able to consent to Sorey’s desires. He was certain that it meant Sorey would feel less concern over it now.

After his eyes had adjusted a little to the dark, he could see the shape of a glass of water on the nightstand. He gently removed the arms which were wrapped around him in order to reach for it. He was not sure how long it had been there for, yet the coolness of winter had stopped the liquid from growing warm.

His movements had caused Sorey to stir. Mikleo looked down to see his eyes opening. They blinked up at Mikleo, and he smiled.

“Morning, beautiful,” Sorey greeted. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just woke up. Have I been asleep for a while?”

“About ten hours, I think. I guess last night took a lot out of you.” Sorey sat up in bed, taking hold of Mikleo’s hand. His thumb rubbed over the back of it. “How are you feeling after that?”

“Strangely good. That might have been the sleep, though.”

Sorey chuckled. “Well, I’ll take some of the credit for it then, considering I’m the one who helped induce it.” He paused, seeming as though he was trying to find the words to say something. “Mikleo … can I ask you something?”

“Of course you can. What is it?”

“I know we promised not to talk about this. But … But what I felt last night was so intense that I can’t help but question this. How do you feel about me?”

“Well, I’m with you, so …”

“Yes, but do you … do you love me?”

Mikleo had expected the question, yet still felt himself be stunned into a silence. He knew the answer. However, even if he knew it, it was still difficult to say. He had no idea how he managed to bring himself to confirm it. “Yes, I do. I’ve been wondering if you do as well.”

“Of course I do, Mikleo. I’m sure you knew I did. I just … I know I was trying to avoid thinking about it, but I’m wondering where we go from here. The years pass so quickly.”

“I know.” Mikleo felt a stab of pain in his chest alongside curiosity. “Is … Is there no way at all to make a transformation be more successful, and less damaging on the person?”

“Well, there is, but it’s pretty rare. If you have some amount of vampire blood in you, then even if you wouldn’t be the _exact_ same as a born vampire, you’ll still be stronger than other humans who were transformed.”

“I see.” Hope was beginning to fade from Mikleo, yet in an instant, it had returned. Sorey’s eyes widened a little at how Mikleo suddenly straightened up, a light returning to his eyes. “Wait. I don’t remember much of my family. Is … is there any chance that I actually _do_ have vampire blood in me? Maybe that’s why I taste so different to you?”

Sorey hesitated to reply, having to take a moment to contemplate Mikleo’s question. “I thought that was just my attraction to you, but … well, it’s not impossible. I could have someone else drink a sample of your blood to test it, but I …”

“It’s okay, I know you’d be uncomfortable with that. I would be too, honestly. But is there any possible way we could try to find out?”

“I think so. I could focus more on your blood when I taste it, and we could research your family. But …” Sorey’s face dropped, his eyes bearing guilt. “Please don’t think you have to do this for me. It’s a huge thing and I don’t want you to go through with it because you feel like it’s an obligation.”

Mikleo shook his head. “I don’t feel that way, don’t worry. I just really want to be with you.”

“I’m the same. I want to be with you for as long as possible, and I know that us being different will stop that.” Sorey took both of Mikleo’s hands, giving them a small squeeze as he looked into Mikleo’s eyes. “I don’t want you making any decisions now, though. This is a huge thing, likely the biggest choice you’ll ever have to make, and you need time to think over it properly. How it’d affect you, your family, friends, future … You have to know how much things could change for you. So I beg of you, _please_ don’t force yourself to rush into anything.”

Sorey’s eyes themselves were pleading, his voice desperate. Alongside Mikleo’s sadness came a warmth in his heart, rising from how much Sorey clearly cared, how important he found Mikleo’s life, both in the present and the future. He cared on another level than anyone had before.

With a reassuring smile, Mikleo nodded. “I promise, Sorey. One step at a time, right?”

“Right.” Sorey removed Mikleo’s hands in order to pull him into a tight embrace instead. “And no matter what you choose and what happens between us, remember this moment. Remember that I love you.”

Mikleo returned the embrace, a pain lodged in his throat from tears suddenly threatening to fall as he leaned his head against Sorey’s shoulder.

“I love you too.”

And he would do so for eternity, whether that eternity would be obtained, or something which he could only grasp onto in his dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading this story! Several months ago, I honestly had just planned to make part ten be just a regular tainted AU (or as regular as it can be), so I'm glad that drawing that ONE piece of fanart inspired a chaptered part instead, haha. Let me know if you'd like more chaptered parts in the future! I might not be able to add anything else for a while with me focusing on my next large fic (which will be around 10k words per chapter, I think), but I'll see what happens.
> 
> Be sure to let me know your thoughts if you have a moment, and I hope that my future work will be of interest to you! (And not just the kinky stuff xD)


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